{"id":310692,"date":"2026-02-27T15:14:23","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T09:44:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/?p=310692"},"modified":"2026-05-07T10:45:06","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T05:15:06","slug":"the-kerala-story-2-trailer-recycles-baseless-islamophobic-tropes-fuels-familiar-fear-narratives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/the-kerala-story-2-trailer-recycles-baseless-islamophobic-tropes-fuels-familiar-fear-narratives\/","title":{"rendered":"The Kerala Story 2 trailer recycles baseless Islamophobic tropes, fuels familiar fear narratives"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Kerala high court on February 26 stayed<\/a> the release of the film, The Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond, a day before it was supposed to hit the theatres.<\/p>\n

The movie, like its 2023 ‘prequel’, The Kerala Story, is produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah\u2019s Sunshine Pictures.<\/p>\n

The trailer of The Kerala Story 2, which claims that the film is “inspired by many true events”, appears to depict Muslim men luring Hindu women from Rajasthan, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh into romantic relationships and eventual marriages, which are later portrayed as part of a larger conspiracy often described as ‘Love Jihad’.<\/p>\n

The judgment came on a writ petition filed by Sreedev Namboodiri and Freddy Francis seeking to quash the screening certificate granted to the film. Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas, in his order, made several stern observations, including \u201cnon-application of mind by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) while certifying the movie.\u201d<\/p>\n

“Dissemination of content which has a tendency to create discord, disturb law and order, even undermine social harmony cannot come within the gamut of freedom of speech and expression enshrined in Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution of India…Prima facie, these guidelines do not seem to have been borne in mind by the CBFC while granting certification and there is a manifest disregard of the applicable law necessitating for this Court to interfere,” the Court said in its order.<\/p>\n

The court further observed that the teaser of the film, released on February 17, had the potential to distort public perception and disturb communal harmony. Noting that the CBFC had, prima facie, ignored certification guidelines, Justice Kurian directed it to re-examine the issue.<\/p>\n

“…the very content in the teaser itself, which is conceded to be part of the movie, has the prima facie potential to distort the public perception and disturb communal harmony…There can be possibility that the State of Kerala, otherwise known for its communal harmony and friendly natives be identified by viewers across the world as a hub of fanatical and communal divide.”
\n<\/b><\/p>\n

The petitioners argued that the CBFC had granted certification without complying with the statutory mandate under the Cinematograph Act. They also contended that the film\u2019s title and narrative could stigmatize Kerala and exacerbate communal tensions. They pointed out that after the release of the first film in the series, The Kerala Story<\/em>, several instances of communal unrest were reported.<\/p>\n

It is pertinent to add that during the proceedings, the Court expressed interest in viewing the film before delivering its judgment. However, the producer was not keen on this, and his counsel urged that the matter be decided on its merits. “Kerala lives in total harmony. But you have portrayed that this is happening all over Kerala. There is a wrong indication and can also incite passion,” the court had orally observed during the hearing.<\/p>\n

The CBFC, in its defence, argued that neither the teaser nor the trailer had been certified by it and that it had no role in their release. It also submitted that the content shown in the teaser does not appear in the film.<\/p>\n

Late on February 26, the producers moved a division Bench of the Kerala high court against the interim stay by the single Bench. After an urgent hearing, Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice P V Balakrishnan reserved their order.<\/p>\n

Trailer Uses Islamophobic Tropes, Reinforces Familiar Fear Narratives<\/h4>\n

The trailer opens with a man saying, \u201cInshallah, in the next 25 years, India will turn into an Islamic state and Sharia law will be imposed across the country.\u201d Sharia, a set of religious principles that govern aspects of Muslim life, is often invoked in Right-wing rhetoric as part of alarmist narratives about demographic and cultural change.<\/p>\n

Similar claims have been repeatedly made in hate speeches by the flagbearers of Hindutva, for example the controversial priest Yati Narsinghanand. In a speech delivered in April 2022, he alleged that wherever Sharia is implemented, killing a \u201ckafir\u201d is treated as a reward, and that in Muslim-majority areas, Hindus are not even allowed to \u201cbreathe.\u201d<\/p>\n

On July 1, 2022, in a video titled \u201cWill India now be run by Sharia law?\u201d, Narsinghanand claimed that the country\u2019s judiciary had instigated \u201cjihadis\u201d against then BJP leader Nupur Sharma. The video was a response to oral remarks by Justice Surya Kant, who had held Sharma “single-handedly responsible” for the controversy following her remarks on Islam during a television debate.<\/p>\n

In the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, BJP leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah accused the Congress manifesto of proposing the introduction of Sharia law and the reintroduction of triple talaq.<\/p>\n

\u201cRead the Congress manifesto carefully. They have said they will re-implement Muslim personal law and triple talaq. You tell me, can this country be run by Sharia?\u201d Shah said at a rally in Madhya Pradesh. In Chhattisgarh, he added, \u201cThey have said they will make a separate law for minorities. Tell me, should this country function as per Sharia? Should triple talaq be reintroduced?\u201d<\/p>\n

However, the Congress manifesto made no mention<\/a> of Sharia law or triple talaq.<\/p>\n

At the start of each storyline in the trailer, Hindu women are shown being warned by their parents against relationships with Muslim men. The daughters respond with variations of, \u201cMy [Rashid\/Faizan\/Salim] is not like that.\u201d The exchange closely mirrors a familiar trope popularised by hardline Hindutva networks: “Mera Abdul alag hai” or some variant of it.<\/p>\n

In recent years, \u201cAbdul\u201d has been reduced in social and mainstream media to a catch-all label for Muslim men. Right-wing influencers routinely deploy the phrase, \u201cMy Abdul is different\u201d, as a sneer directed at interfaith relationships. The trope flattens Muslim men into a single, suspect category and insinuates that such relationships are inherently deceptive or dangerous.<\/p>\n

In a detailed analysis of this narrative<\/a>, Alt News traced its origins and documented its use as a rallying cry against \u201cLove Jihad\u201d by politicians, media outlets, influencers, and even in music videos.<\/p>\n

The trailer leans heavily into this playbook. Several visibly Muslim male characters are shown speaking of a \u201cmission\u201d to convert Hindu women, echoing the \u201cLove Jihad\u201d conspiracy theory \u2014 the claim that Muslim men systematically target Hindu women for conversion as part of an organised demographic project. Despite the absence of credible evidence, the narrative has been widely amplified as part of anti-Muslim propaganda, often with tangible consequences on the ground.<\/p>\n