Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], February 20 (ANI): Amid the ongoing debate surrounding ‘The Kerala Story 2,’ producer Vipul Shah opened up about the film, stating that it does not target Kerala as a state.
While speaking to ANI, Shah said that the issue highlighted in the film is an “evil” that needs to be addressed. “We’re not after Kerala. Kerala is God’s Country… We want this evil in that state to be eradicated as soon as possible.”
He also spoke about the criticism faced by the first film, especially over the numbers shown in the movie. Shah further alleged that the lack of action from the government, even after the release of the first film, prompted them to make a sequel.
“Some people criticized the first film, claiming the 32,000 figure was false. We made a video on this figure on YouTube, which is currently available. We’ve added the names and shown the figures. The government must have even more figures than us, but we’ve never heard of any strict action being taken since the release of the film…,” he told ANI.
Shah also explained why the sequel carries the same title and how the story goes beyond one state. Speaking about the wider scope of the film, he said, “Kerala Story 2 goes beyond Kerala and exposes the massive conspiracy of manipulative conversion going on throughout India. Because its central theme is the same as Kerala Story 1, we named it Kerala Story 2…”
The producer also spoke about safety concerns around the film. When asked if he had received any threats after the announcement of part 2, Shah said, “Till now, there has been no threat to this film. When you are telling the truth, then perhaps you are not in that much danger because people feel that if we threaten a person who tells the truth, then there could be backlash.”
A fresh political debate began following the trailer’s release earlier this month. The film has drawn sharp reactions from political leaders in Kerala.
Earlier, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan strongly opposed reports about a sequel to The Kerala Story. He said such a film could again try to create communal tension in the state.
The Kerala Story 2 is scheduled to release in theatres on February 27. (ANI)