The Kerala Story 2 Goes Beyond is a 2026 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Kamakhya Narayan Singh and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah through Sunshine Pictures. A sequel to the 2023 film The Kerala Story, it stars Ulka Gupta, Aditi Bhatia and Aishwarya Ojha as three women who become victims of an abusive plot after marrying outside their religion.
Having generated legal and political debate following the release of its teaser and trailer, the film was released theatrically on 27 February 2026 and received mixed-to-negative reviews from critics.
Premise
The film expands the narrative of its predecessor and follows the lives of several young women across different Indian states. The story explores themes related to personal relationships, alleged religious conversion, and societal pressures.
Cast
- Ulka Gupta as Surekha Nair
- Aditi Bhatia as Divya Paliwal
- Aishwarya Ojha as Neha Sant
- Sumit Gahlawat as Salim
- Arjan Singh Aujla as Faizan
- Yuktam Kholsa as Rasheed
- Alka Amin as Hafsa Begum
Soundtrack
The music is composed by Mannan Shaah and Rahul Suhas.
The first song "Saathi Re" was released on 4 February 2026 sang by Vishal Mishra.
Theatrical
After receiving a UA16+ certificate on 16 February 2026, the film was scheduled for a theatrical release in India on 27 February 2026, before the Kerala High Court granted an interim stay on the film's release.
On 25 February 2026, the Kerala High Court directed the makers to halt the release of the film's rights until it decided on "probably genuine" petitions challenging its censor board certification, and further noting that the makers were not keen on screening the film immediately, observed that there was a shortage of time to examine the matter in detail.
On 26 February 2026, The Kerala High Court granted an interim stay on the film's release, observing that the CBFC appeared to have not followed the guidelines meant to ensure a film does not disrupt social harmony.
However, after the producers swiftly moved an appeal against the order on the same day, responding to the urgency of the matter, the Kerala High Court Division Bench convened a special sitting, and on 27 February 2026 lifted the interim stay on the release of the film, with a 2-judge bench setting aside the earlier order by a single-judge bench.
Reception
The film received mixed-to-negative reviews from critics.
Amit Bhatia from ABP News gave the film 2.5 stars out of 5 and praised the performances, while terming it a serviceable but uneven sequel with weaker production values, overstretched and exaggerated sequences. Satish Sundaresan from The Free Press Journal also gave it 2.5 stars out of 5 and praised the performances, direction, cinematography and editing, while finding the first half slow. Divya Nair from Rediff.com similarly gave it 2.5 stars out of 5 and praised the performances, but found them ultimately diluted by a heavy-handed, obvious propaganda, and felt that the film seemed intent on stirring hostility against one group. Rishabh Suri from Hindustan Times gave the film 2 stars out of 5, finding it "less a nuanced narrative and more a shouting match, engineered to sensationalise." Vinamra Mathur of Firstpost also gave the film 2 stars out of 5 stars, labelling it an underwhelming drama that relied more on cacophony than coherence. Abhishek Srivastava from Times of India gave the film 1.5 stars out of 5, finding it weak, predictable, dependent more on heavy scenes and speeches than on a strong plot, and comparing it unfavorably to the first film. Saibal Chatterjee from NDTV gave the film 1 star out of 5, accusing the makers of chasing short-term gains by weaponising "the anguish of women wronged not as a tool of empowerment but (in the guise of a cautionary tale) as a means of painting a community into a corner." Sajin Shrijith from The Week similarly gave the film 1 star out of 5, criticising its bias against Muslims, and claiming it was made for "WhatsApp uncles" who believed that all Muslims were as bad as the evil men presented in the film, while also praising Aishwarya Ojha's performance. Arpita Sarkar from OTT Play also gave the film 1 star out of 5, and while finding it visually more elegant than the first film in terms of production values and cinematography, felt that it turned complex social issues into one-dimensional narratives, flattened its female protagonists, and portrayed all antagonists in extremes. Vineeta Kumar from India Today gave the film 0.5 stars out of 5, claiming that it portrayed Muslim men, households and localities negatively, and noting that it did not merely continue its predecessor's argument, but amplified it.
Anuj Kumar from The Hindu found it better performed than the original, but accused Singh of prioritising manipulation and polarisation over plot and dialogue in a "strident" sequel. Nandini Ramnath from Scroll.in stated that the film lived up to its title and went far beyond its predecessor, and released during the holy month of Ramzan after a legal battle, it clearly stated its agenda to portray an entire community as unfeeling villains, whose only goal is to expand their flock by any means possible, and to rouse negative feelings against them. Princy Alexander from Onmanorama found the performances better than the first film, but felt the film appeared less invested in probing a social issue than in reiterating a fixed viewpoint, and by framing crimes such as coercion, exploitation, and violence under the guise of marriage as the defining attribute of a single community, left little room for complexity or dissenting realities. Shruti Sampat from Mid-Day found the performances sincere, but deemed it less a cinematic experience and more "a polemic wrapped in dramatic packaging" that may resonate strongly with viewers who aligned with its viewpoint, but struggled as a piece of storytelling.
