The Kerala Story 2: Targetted Hate Ruins A Good Cautionary Tale

It's not the clothes or the rebellion that invites violence, but the mindset that continues to police and condition girls and encourages the perpetrator, instead of punishing the criminals. This lack of empathy is what ultimately brings The Kerala Story 2 down, observes Divya Nair.

What is the Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond about?

Kochi. Jodhpur. Gwalior. Three different girls who grew up in these cities, with different dreams, end up falling in love.

A UPSC aspirant from Kerala (Ulka Gupta), brought up by secular parents, decides to move in with her liberal, married journalist boyfriend because he ticks all the right boxes.

A 16-year-old student (Aditi Bhatia) who loves making dance reels is tricked into marriage with the promise of freedom to create ‘sexy' dance videos.

A state-level javelin player (Aishwarya Ojha) agrees to a secret temple wedding to avoid prospective grooms who she believes may not support her dream of representing the country.

So far, the stories and stereotypes feel believable, well researched -- until you notice the deliberate choice of betis and their religion. One is a Hindu atheist; the other two loudly assert their identities as a Hindu and a Scheduled Caste. All three are engaged to men from a particular community and end up suffering in silence, largely because they choose to blame themselves for not trusting their parents.

What The Kerala Story 2 doesn’t get right

Surprisingly, all three had access to their parents when they got married, and vice versa. Two of them even had mobile phones, yet they chose to believe that true love could alter their fate and continued to suffer in silence.

The Kerala Story 2 does a striking job of presenting an alternate reality that the audience must judge with a great deal of salt -- and sensibility. It may well be true that a percentage of girls are tricked into marriage by men from another community. But that is not inspiring enough for filmmakers and producer Vipul Amrutlal Shah to make two films with the same title and intention to criminalise one particular community.

As several journalists rightly questioned at the film's press meet in Delhi: Where is Kerala in this?

Shouldn't this be the story of Indian daughters tricked and trapped by predatory men with ulterior motives? Of girls being gang-raped, abused, killed, or pushed to suicide because they feel they cannot return to their parents' homes?

Dear Mr Vipul Shah, if your intent is to alert us about crimes against our daughters, are you implying that non-Hindu girls are safe in our country? Or that other communities do not commit heinous crimes against women? Did you conveniently overlook news of honour killings and honeymoon murders spanning communities?

The Kerala Story 2 gets its casting right, and some of the intense performances genuinely make your blood boil. But the anger -- not hate -- should have been directed at the individuals committing these crimes, rather than being generalised into a community narrative that fuels suspicion and resentment.

The central theme of ‘beti bachao' could have been explored powerfully across India's diverse communities. Instead, The Kerala Story 2 seems intent on stirring hostility against one group.

The best performances of Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond

Having said that, the sequel is a far better-made film and deserves applause for its nuanced performances, especially in exploring the plight of the parents.

Senior actors like Alka Amin, Rajiv Kumar and Abhishek Shankar are convincing in their respective roles.

Intent vs Propaganda: Where The Kerala Story 2 goes wrong

The strong performances by almost all the actors, including the men, ultimately feel diluted by the heavy-handed propaganda the film appears determined to push down our throats.

The hidden propaganda in the film is so obvious.

Several girls from across India have already come forward to share their stories of unity in diversity. To use a community's attire and food habits as symbols of hatred is perhaps the lowest form of storytelling.

What could have been a cautionary film alerting parents and families to be a safe place for their daughters to express themselves and keep the doors and hearts open for their return, instead masquerades as a community-targeted wake-up call, while conveniently skirting the deeper, more uncomfortable realities of patriarchy, control, and violence that cut across religions and regions.

There is one subtle scene in the film when a 16-year-old's batchmate asks her mother: If something happens to me, will you blame my attire?

When the mother tries to reason, the teen gently pushes back and urges her mother to support her friend and her parents, irrespective of her personal biases or judgement.

This, I feel, should have been the central focus of the film -- that it's not the clothes or the rebellion that invites violence, but the mindset that continues to police and condition girls and encourages the perpetrator, instead of punishing the criminals. This lack of empathy is what ultimately brings the film down.

The Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond Review Rediff Rating: