‘Kerala Story 2’ invents false stories to insult Kerala, says K C Venugopal

Congress general secretary K C Venugopal on Thursday launched a sharp attack on the upcoming film Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond , alleging that it seeks to insult Kerala and foment communal division by “inventing false stories” about the state and its people.

Referring to scenes shown in the film’s trailer, Venugopal, who is also the MP from Alappuzha, claimed that the movie falsely depicts people in Kerala being forced to eat beef, a portrayal he described as baseless and deeply offensive. He alleged that the film was part of a “planned move” to create misunderstanding about Kerala at a global level and to damage the state’s image as a society rooted in secular values and social harmony.

In a post on Facebook, Venugopal accused the BJP-led central government of encouraging such narratives by honouring the first instalment of The Kerala Story with National Film Awards, despite what he termed as a film “based solely on lies”. He said official recognition of works that, in his view, mock an entire state amounts to a threat to democracy . According to him, campaigns sponsored by the Sangh Parivar would not succeed in breaking Kerala’s secular mindset.

Venugopal further contended that the alleged scenes involving coercion over food choices were deliberately designed to hurt religious sentiments and sow hatred in society. “It is extremely objectionable to portray a state, known for its secularism and for not discriminating between people on the basis of food or clothing, in this manner,” he said, urging the people of Kerala to reject what he called “poisonous campaigns” with contempt.

His remarks come a day after Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan expressed serious concern over the proposed release of the sequel. Vijayan had alleged that the first film was made with the intent to spread hatred against Kerala and undermine its secular tradition, and claimed that Sangh-linked centres had amplified the narrative propagated by the movie.

Directed by Kamakhya Narayan Singh , the teaser of Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond was released recently and has triggered fresh political debate in the state. The first film in the franchise had courted widespread controversy even as it won awards for Best Direction and Best Cinematography at the National Film Awards .

With both the ruling Left government in Kerala and the Congress stepping up criticism, the sequel has once again placed the intersection of cinema, politics and communal harmony at the centre of public discourse in the state.