Producer opposes Kerala HC screening order for The Kerala Story 2, cites CBFC authority

In his submission, Shah argued that the High Court should refrain from exercising supervisory powers to view or evaluate the content of the film, asserting that such authority rests solely with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).

He maintained that once a film has been certified, courts should not ordinarily interfere unless there is a serious flaw in the certification process.

The producer told the court that The Kerala Story 2 had already undergone scrutiny by subject experts prior to certification and that the CBFC had granted clearance after following all constitutional and statutory procedures.

Any stay on the film’s release, he argued, would result in substantial financial losses.

On Tuesday, the Kerala High Court directed the filmmakers to arrange a screening of the Hindi film in Kochi ahead of its scheduled theatrical release on Friday, February 27.

Earlier, the makers had also dismissed reports suggesting that the film’s teaser was removed following court intervention.

In a statement, production house Sunshine Pictures said, “Reports claiming that the teaser of The Kerala Story 2 – Goes Beyond has been removed are false, baseless and misleading."

"The matter is currently sub judice. No court has passed any order directing the removal of any content, and we have not taken down any material.”

The Kerala Story 2 is a sequel to the National Award-winning The Kerala Story, released in 2023.

The film depicts the lives of three young women who, as portrayed, enter deceptive marriages and allegedly face forced religious conversion.

Since the release of its trailer, the sequel has triggered sharp reactions from opposition leaders, celebrities and social media users, many of whom have labelled it “propaganda.”

The filmmakers, however, continue to defend the project, insisting that it is based on extensive research and real-life accounts.