After weeks of legal wrangling, a Division Bench of Justices S A Dharmadhikari and P V Balakrishnan overturned a temporary stay imposed by a single bench of Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas. The original order had instructed the Central Board of Film Certification to review the screening certificate issued for the film, delaying its release. The bench’s decision followed an appeal from producer Vipul Amrutlal Shah, clearing the way for the film’s scheduled release on February 27, 2026.
Speaking on the controversy surrounding the social-thriller drama, Shah emphasized that neither he nor his team intended to offend Kerala or its people. He described Kerala as “a beautiful, God-loving place” and stressed that the film’s aim is to expose criminal activity, not to malign the state. “Some criminals live in Kerala, some are from Madhya Pradesh, some are from Rajasthan, and that’s why we named this film ‘The Kerala Story 2 Goes Beyond’,” he explained. Shah added that audiences would understand the context when they watch the film and cited the High Court’s lifting of the stay as proof of the movie’s authenticity.
Directed by Kamakhya Narayan Singh, The Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond features Ulka Gupta, Aditi Bhatia, and Aishwarya Ojha in lead roles. The film, a sequel to the controversial 2023 release The Kerala Story, has attracted attention for its depiction of sensitive social issues, with Shah maintaining that the narrative targets criminal elements rather than the culture or people of Kerala.
