The Kerala Story 2-Goes Beyond received a cold response in Kerala, with several multiplexes cancelling shows on Saturday owing to poor ticket sales and moviegoers who watched the film terming it “worthless”.
Activists of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) staged protests outside theatres screening the film, alleging that it tarnished Kerala’s reputation. The protests led to the cancellation of shows in several theatres in Kochi, Kozhikode and Kottayam.
A senior official at Ariesplex SL Cinemas in Thiruvananthapuram told The Telegraph that they experienced heavy losses because only a few people watched the film.
“Unlike The Kerala Story, the sequel has been quite disappointing. It’s unfair for the people behind the film to name it The Kerala Story 2-Goes Beyond, aimed at maligning our state when the film is not Kerala-centric. This is the main reason people have stayed away. I could watch it only for a few moments as there was no logic behind the film,” said the senior official.
Visuals on television channels showed DYFI activists shouting slogans and tearing down posters at theatres screening the film.
A film distributor with PVR Cinemas in Lulu Mall in Thiruvananthapuram told this newspaper that they didn’t face any protests from DYFI activists. “The film can be shown only if there is an audience,” he said.
A handful of youths who watched the film told this newspaper that it’s “worthless”.
“Four of us decided to watch the film because of the hype it generated over the week. But it turned out to be worthless. The makers should refund our tickets. They have no right to use Kerala in the movie title,” a first-year engineering student from Kochi said.
While the majority of BJP leaders desisted from openly backing the movie over fear of a backlash in the upcoming Assembly elections, senior BJP leader and former Mizoram governor Kummanam Rajasekharan said he would watch the film soon. He said he had seen the first instalment of the franchise and found nothing objectionable.
On Day 1, the film's nationwide collections stood at ₹3.5 crore.