The filmmakers behind ‘The Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond’ came out on the successful side in a high-stakes 24-hour legal thriller. The Division Bench of the Kerala High Court lifted an earlier interim stay on Friday 27 February 2026 allowing the film to roll out theatrically in India and in overseas markets as well.
The news was a substantial relief for producer Vipul Amrutlal Shah and director Kamakhya Narayan Singh, who had been embroiled in an eleventh-hour hiccup after a single-judge bench suspended the film for the film just in the very last day before launch.
The Legal Seesaw: From Stay to Greenlight
The controversy boiled over on Thursday through Friday, when a single-judge bench of Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas ordered a 15-day stay on the release of the film. The judge noted that the film’s teaser had the “prima facie potential to distort public perception and disturb communal harmony,” and slammed the CBFC for allegedly breaking certification guidelines. The producers, however, immediately contested this order. In a rare and urgent move:
In an Urgent Hearing
A Division Bench of Justices S.A. Dharmadhikari and P.V. Balakrishnan assembled a special sitting at 7:30 PM Thursday night to hear the appeal. Results: Issued at 4:00 PM on Friday, the Bench vacated the stay. The court pointed out that the earlier order appeared rushed ahead of time and stressed that the process of the courts should never be utilized to stop a producer from financially finishing a mega release at the eleventh hour.
What is “The Kerala Story 2” About?
The 2023 blockbuster The feature film that follows the lives of three Hindu women from three states – Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Kerala – is titled as a sequel directed by Kamakhya Narayan Singh. The next film is a multi-layered sequel. Key Themes:
- Beyond the Borders: The sequel is unlike the first; it has to do with alleged cases of religious conversion and "Love Jihad" in different states like Kerala.
- Ab Sahenge Nahi Slogan: The trailer showcases a transition, instead of victimhood, that the protagonists enter into a fight against systemic radicalization.
- High Stakes: With UA 16+ certificate and over 1,500 screens booked in India alone, the flick is one of the year’s top-of-the-chase dramatic releases.
- Getting Truthful: Back to Theatres. The court’s first stay on Thursday had resulted in the cancellation of some advance bookings and morning shows until today.
That said, following the Division Bench's green light, theaters will likely resume screenings right away. Though the lawsuit seeking to block the film from being certified doesn’t end, the court has said that freedom of expression and the producer’s financial interests must be safeguarded during the case’s attention.
