The Kerala Story 2 teaser not pulled down; makers ask critics to ‘show sympathy’ to victims, refuse to respond to Anurag Kashyap’s comments | Bollywood News

The statement further urged media outlets to exercise restraint while reporting on the matter. “Both the teaser and the trailer of The Kerala Story 2 – Goes Beyond continue to remain available across all our official platforms. We strongly urge media houses, digital platforms, and individuals to refrain from spreading unverified information and speculative reports. Such misinformation only creates unnecessary confusion.”

On the other hand, on Tuesday evening, the makers held a press conference in Delhi. The filmmakers were joined by 33 women who described themselves as survivors of forced religious conversions and shared their experiences publicly. While the event attracted significant attention for its strong assertions, it was noted that none of the 33 women presented as survivors were from Kerala or neighbouring southern states.

‘It’s a pan-India story’

Addressing the gathering, producer, Shah stated that the sequel seeks to broaden the scope of the narrative beyond the incidents depicted in the first film. He argued that the issue was not confined to a single state. “I often hear people say that love jihad and forced conversions are not happening in India. So, we have brought together victims from all over the country,” he said.

When questioned by journalists about the absence of Malayali women at the press event, Shah responded, “We brought those who suffered from Kerala after Kerala Story 1. The video is still available on YouTube. Had we brought them again, you would have said we brought the same people. You can’t argue both sides.”
A petition has been filed challenging the release of The Kerala Story 2.
Also present at the press conference was the film’s director, Kamakhya Narayan Singh, who described the project as “a pan-India story.” When asked about the irony of retaining “Kerala” in the title while claiming the issue extends nationwide, he countered by explaining that the film connects Kerala to a broader national context.

He said, “No, it is related to Kerala and also about how from Kerala it spreads all over India. When we first made this story, people said it was only about Kerala. So we wanted to clarify that it is not just Kerala’s story, this is happening across the entire country.”

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The filmmakers faced criticism for allegedly portraying Kerala in a negative light by linking it to terrorism and forced conversions. Responding to these concerns, Shah said, “Let me ask you a straight and simple question. On the floor of assembly, the then CM had put a report. If you are going to be blind towards the problem in your state, which is a wonderful state. You are destroying the state; you are responsible. Not us. You don’t want to accept there’s a problem.”

When asked to respond to criticism from celebrities such as Anurag Kashyap and Prakash Raj, Shah declined to address individuals directly. “I do not want to respond to any one individual particularly. We wanted to highlight an issue to the entire country which we think we have done with utmost honesty. And even now if some people are not accepting this as a major problem, then they should genuinely look within their conscience and ask if they have even some degree of sensitivity to the victims. That’s about it.”

Meanwhile, during Tuesday’s hearing, the Kerala High Court sought the Centre’s position on whether a screening of the film could be arranged before it rules on the petitions challenging its censor certification.