The upcoming film The Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond, scheduled for theatrical release on February 27, 2026, has become the centre of a heated legal and political storm for igniting communal hatred. The sequel moves its storytelling to three women who belong to Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Kerala while the film shows their forced religious conversion experiences. The film which features Ulka Gupta Aditi Bhatia and Aishwarya Ojha as its main actors contains a U/A 16+ certificate and runs for 131 minutes.
The film currently faces strong public opposition because people accuse it of spreading false information and showing falsehoods. The Kerala High Court received petitions requesting the film to be banned because its title and content allegedly possess the potential to incite communal violence while damaging Kerala’s image as a secular state. Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas observed that the promotional materials will create false impressions about the state’s social harmony. The producers decided to remove the film’s teaser because they faced increasing public demand and legal examination. The original director Sudipto Sen left the project because he criticised the sequel for its inadequate research practices and this demonstrated a larger problem with the film’s accuracy.
The Judge said, “Kerala lives in total harmony. But you have portrayed that this is happening all over Kerala. There is a wrong indication and can also incite passion. That is where the censor board comes into play. Have you considered that?” Adding, the judge said, “…Normally, I do not interfere with any movie. Artistic freedom. But you are saying that it is inspired by true events and name Kerala is given, which can create some communal tension. I will watch the movie tomorrow. You can arrange a screening of the movie tomorrow,” per Live Law.
