Bareilly (Uttar Pradesh) [India], February 20 : All India Muslim Jamaat (AIMJ) President Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Bareilvi strongly criticised the upcoming film "The Kerala Story 2", alleging that it promotes false narratives and fuels communal tension.
Speaking to ANI, Razvi said, "The Kerala Story-2 is a story based on fake narratives, and nowadays a trend has started among film directors to earn money in any way possible. The films these days are increasing communal tension and destroying the Hindu-Muslim brotherhood. All these things are being done as part of a planned effort to defame Muslims."
Meanwhile, the Kerala High Court on Thursday issued a notice to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and makers of 'The Kerala Story 2', following a petition which sought cancellation of the censor certificate granted to the concerned film. The petition was submitted by Sreedev Namboothiri, a native of Chittariparamba in Kannur district. He claimed in the petition that the sequel contains "malicious and stereotypical projections scandalising an entire state without any basis".
"A perusal of the trailer of the movie shows that the story is based on women from three different states and takes place mainly in the northern part of India. Yet, the title and scenes try to portray the state in a bad light. 5. The movie tends to alienate Kerala and Keralites from the rest of India, despite the fact that Keralites work across India and the world, contributing to the Indian economy and providing residence and employment to several migrant workers from other parts of India," the petition read.
"Also, the name is an intentional attempt to impute a reality to what is more or less a speculative fear of the writer or director. While the petitioner is not against the freedom of expression of the writer - filmmaker to express their fears, whether substantive or speculative, they cannot attribute that fear to Kerala, to an entire state, falsely," it further read. Taking cognisance of the petition, the Kerala High Court has issued a notice to the Censor Board, directing it to respond. The court has also asked the film's producer, Sunshine Pictures, to file its reply.
The next hearing has been set for Tuesday, February 24. The makers of 'The Kerala Story 2' released the trailer of the sequel recently, which showcased how Hindu women were trapped by the Islamic men in the name of love. Their parallel lives show how romance and rebellion transform into control and silence, turning love into a weapon that destroys freedom. The film is written by Amarnath Jha and Vipul Amrutlal Shah, while it is directed by Kamakhya Narayan Singh.
'The Kerala Story 2' has already sparked a fresh controversy, drawing sharp reactions from the political sphere.
Earlier, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan expressed strong opposition to the reports of a sequel to 'The Kerala Story'. He also said that a sequel would be another attempt to incite "communal discord" within the state.
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