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.Read at source
The Kerala Story 2 2026 
Synopsis
The Kerala Story 2
The Kerala Story 2 Goes Beyond is a 2026 Hindi drama directed by Kamakhya Narayan Singh and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah. The film is a sequel to The Kerala Story and became the subject of legal and political debate around release.
- Director
- Kamakhya Narayan Singh
- Release
- 27 Feb 2026
- Studio
- Sunshine Pictures
- Run time
- 131 min
- Language
- Hindi
Reviews
10 Indian-media reviews, grouped by reception.
Critics' consensus
Unfavorable
Critics' aggregate for The Kerala Story 2 is 30/100 from 7 scored critic/publication reviews.
Synthesized by AI (gpt-5-codex-omdb-enricher) from 10 source-backed reviews — verify against the linked sources.Watch points
- performances
- writing
Positive 4
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.Read at source
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.Read at source
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.Read at source
Critical 6
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.Read at source
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."Read at source
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.Read at source
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."Read at source
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.Read at source
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.Read at source
Media & trailers
Verified video records attached to this title.
Stills & artwork
Source-linked poster and gallery records.
Details
Soundtrack
- Saathi Re Vishal Mishra
- O Maayi Ri Shreya Ghoshal
- Shiv Shambho Mannan Shaah
- Kanha Palak Muchhal, Rahul Suhas
- Thaari Jogan Shaoni Mojumdar
Technical specs
- Release date
- 27 Feb 2026
- Run time
- 131 min
- Language
- Hindi
- Country
- IN
- Director
- Kamakhya Narayan Singh
- Studio
- Sunshine Pictures
- Budget
- ₹30 crore
- Distributor
- Sunshine Pictures
Trivia
- The film was directed by Kamakhya Narayan Singh and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah through Sunshine Pictures.
- The movie stars Ulka Gupta, Aditi Bhatia, and Aishwarya Ojha as three women who become victims of an abusive plot after marrying outside their religion.
- The soundtrack music was composed by Mannan Shaah and Rahul Suhas, with the first song 'Saathi Re' released on 4 February 2026 and sung by Vishal Mishra.
- The Kerala High Court granted an interim stay on the film's release on 26 February 2026, observing that the CBFC appeared to have not followed guidelines meant to ensure social harmony.
- The film began streaming on ZEE5 from 1 May 2026, following its theatrical release on 27 February 2026.
- The British Board of Film Classification granted the film an 18 classification, noting that it presented a 'partial and unbalanced view of Islam which focuses on Islamist characters with a radical agenda.'
Tags
DramaControversySunshine PicturesSequelZEE5Hindi Cinema2026Feature Film SoundtrackReleasedHindi
