Kerala Story 2 advance ticket bookings open as High Court lifts stay. When is it releasing?

After a dramatic legal twist just hours before its scheduled arrival in theatres, The Kerala Story 2 Goes Beyond is finally heading to the big screen. What began as an abrupt halt to its release has now turned into a green signal, with the Kerala High Court stepping in and lifting the stay on the film. With the legal cloud cleared, advance bookings have opened across platforms, and audiences can now watch the sequel from today.

The Kerala High Court on Friday stayed a single judge’s order that had put the screening of the film on hold for 15 days. According to PTI, a division bench comprising Justices Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and P V Balakrishnan passed the interim order on an appeal filed late Thursday night by producer Vipul Amrutlal Shah. The appeal came within hours of the earlier stay that had stalled the film’s release.

In its order, the bench observed that the single judge’s conclusion that certification guidelines had not been properly considered by the Central Board of Film Certification was based only on a few clippings and without viewing the entire film. The court noted that such a finding could not be sustained. It further pointed out that the producer had already carried out insertions, excisions and modifications as directed by the CBFC, reinforcing that there had been due application of mind while granting certification.

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As reported by Bar and Bench, the High Court underlined that once a certificate has been issued, there is a prima facie presumption that the authority has considered all relevant guidelines, including those related to public order. The court added that if any issue affecting public order arises after release, it is the responsibility of the state to maintain it. The order also referred to the principles under Section 5B of the Cinematograph Act, 1952, and the relevant certification guidelines, stating that a film is to be assessed in its entirety, keeping in mind its overall impact.

When is The Kerala Story 2 releasing?

With the stay lifted, advance ticket bookings for The Kerala Story 2 Goes Beyond are now live on online platforms such as BookMyShow. The film has been released today.

Directed by Kamakhya Narayan Singh and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah under Sunshine Pictures, the Hindi-language drama serves as a sequel to the 2023 film The Kerala Story. The cast includes Ulka Gupta, Aditi Bhatia and Aishwarya Ojha. Expanding on the narrative of its predecessor, the film traces the journeys of several young women across different Indian states, exploring themes around personal relationships, alleged religious conversion and societal pressures.