After the nationwide debate sparked by The Kerala Story, the makers are returning with a sequel titled The Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond. Even before its release, the film has landed in controversy, followed by sharp remarks by Anurag Kashyap.The filmmaker was recently questioned at Kochi airport about the sequel, produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah and directed by Kamakhya Narayan Singh. Responding bluntly, Kashyap said, “Bakwas picture. Kerala Story is a shit film. It is propaganda, bullshit… Ch**iya picture. Aisa kaun beef khilata hai? Aisa koi khichdi bhi nahi khilata hai, jaise beef khila raha hai. It’s called crap. They just want to make money and please everybody; divide people. The filmmaker is a greedy man. He just wants to make money.” (It’s a nonsense film… Who feeds someone beef like that? No one even feeds khichdi that way… It’s crap. They just want to make money and divide people. The filmmaker is greedy and only wants to earn money.)
‘Humari masoom betiyon ko… beef khilaya jaa raha hai, yeh ek crime hai’
In response, Kamakhya Narayan Singh issued a strong rebuttal in a video statement, also addressing criticism from actor Prakash Raj and others.He said, “Anurag Kashyap Ji ne kaha hai ki koi aisa kisiko khichdi bhi nhi khilata, main ekdum maanta hu, koi kisiko aise laddoo bhi nahi khila sakte. Par durbhagyvas, humare samaaj mein humari masoom betiyon ko, unka dharam parivartan karne ke liye, unko beef khilaya jaa raha hai, yeh ek crime hai. Problem yeh hai ki Anurag Kashyap Ji mansik roop se durbal ho gaye hain, unko har cheez se dikkat hain, unko Brahminon se dikkat hai, unko Netflix se dikkat hain, unko film industry se dikkat hai, iss aadmi ko har cheez se dikkat hain.” (Anurag Kashyap ji has said that no one feeds someone khichdi like that — I completely agree, no one can even feed someone laddoos like that. But unfortunately, in our society, innocent daughters are being fed beef to force religious conversion — that is a crime. The problem is that Anurag Kashyap has become mentally weak; he has issues with everything — with Brahmins, with Netflix, with the film industry — he has a problem with everything.)He further added, “Inhone ek film banayi thi, The Girl in Yellow Boots, usme inhone kalpana kiya hain ek pita aur putri ke anaitik sambandh ko. Ek sabhya samaj mein yeh sochne ke paray hain, par yeh aadmi mansik roop se durbal ho gaya hain aur samaaj ne bhi isko seriously lena chod diya hain. Inki saari filmein pichle kahi saalon se flop hai. Me param pita parmeshvar se prathna karta hu ki inko sadhbudhi de.” (He made a film called The Girl in Yellow Boots, where he imagined an immoral relationship between a father and daughter. In a civilised society, such thoughts are beyond comprehension. But he has become mentally weak and society has stopped taking him seriously. His films have been flops in recent years. I pray to God to give him wisdom.)
‘Aapka jhooth bhi creative freedom, aur hamara sach bhi propaganda?’
Sharing the clip, the director also posted a detailed note that read, “Dear Anurag sir, मुद्दा ये नहीं है कि फिल्म में क्या दिखाया गया- खिचड़ी, बीफ या कुछ और। असल सवाल है consent और coercion किसी की मर्जी के खिलाफ तो खिचड़ी भी नहीं खिलाई जा सकती, तो अगर कोई फिल्म जबरन बदलाव या दबाव की बात उठाती है, तो उसे नफरत फैलाना कह देना intellectual dishonesty है। आपका तो झूठ भी creative freedom और हमारा सच भी Propaganda! Debate facts और data पर होनी चाहिए- न कि ‘bullshit’, ‘bootlicker’ जैसे labels लगाकर discussion बंद कर देने पर.” (The issue is not what is shown in the film — khichdi, beef or anything else. The real question is consent and coercion. If someone cannot even be fed khichdi against their will, then raising the issue of forced change or pressure in a film cannot be termed hate. Calling it propaganda is intellectual dishonesty. Your lies are called creative freedom, while our truth is called propaganda? Debate should be based on facts and data, not by shutting down discussion with labels like ‘bullshit’ or ‘bootlicker’.)
Legal heat before release
Last week, the Kerala High Court served notice to the producers of The Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond over a writ petition challenging the film’s certification by the Central Board of Film Certification. The plea objects to the teaser and trailer.The film stars Ulka Gupta, Aditi Bhatia and Aishwarya Ojha in lead roles and is slated for release on February 27. Meanwhile, on the professional front, Anurag Kashyap is preparing for the India release of his much-awaited film Kennedy, starring Rahul Bhat and Sunny Leone, which will premiere on ZEE5.
