The Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond normalizes ‘WhatsApp University’ thinking. One character even argues it’s okay to believe what you read on WhatsApp because ‘some of that stuff might be true’. Just like the first part, there’s no positive character from a particular community in the film. Each and every one of them, whether man or woman, is only busy converting or helping in trapping innocent girls. The idea is to appeal to a particular segment of society and hence, the makers also add scenes of bulldozer ‘justice’ to impress them. The climax is very hurried and random. It catches viewers unawares and leaves some questions unanswered. The performances of the three leading ladies – Aditi Bhatia (Divya), Ulka Gupta (Surekha) and Aishwarya Ojha (Neha) – make the film bearable. Others are okay. All in all, The Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond could have been a hard-hitting film, but is a laughable effort. After three back-to-back bad films, here’s hoping Vipul Shah returns to his roots and makes propaganda-free entertainers on the lines of Aankhen, Waqt, Holiday, Namaste London etc.
My rating – * out of 5!