‘His Kerala Story 2 Script Was Trash’: Vipul Shah Hits Back At Sudipto Sen Over ‘WhatsApp Forwards’ Claim

Vipul Shah defended The Kerala Story 2 after Sudipto Sen, director of the first film, criticised it for allegedly relying on “WhatsApp forwards”. The sequel has earned Rs 20.2 crore at the box office.

The Kerala Story 2: The film was released on February 27 in theatres.

Source : ABP LIVE English/Arfa Javaid

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Key points generated by AI, verified by newsroom

• Producer Vipul Shah criticizes Sudipto Sen's script for sequel.
• Shah cites Sen's lack of research for his exclusion.
• Sen stated he cannot base films on WhatsApp forwards.
• The Kerala Story 2 has grossed ₹20.2 crore so far.

The Kerala Story 2 was released after receiving clearance from the Kerala High Court’s division bench. Earlier, a single-judge bench had ordered a stay on the film and directed the CBFC to reconsider its certification. Ahead of the film’s release last Friday, director Sudipto Sen, who was part of the first instalment, claimed that the sequel was “based on WhatsApp forwards”. Now, producer Vipul Amrutlal Shah has reacted to Sen’s remarks for the first time.

Vipul Shah Hits Back At Sudipto Sen

Speaking to India Today, Vipul Shah said the script that Sudipto Sen had written for the sequel was “absolutely trash,” which is why he chose to move forward with National Award-winning director Kamakhya Narayan Singh instead.

“I would say the grapes are sour. To be very honest, I have never spoken about this before, but I would like to put this to rest. He had written a script for The Kerala Story 2, which was absolutely trash. I did not want to make that film, and that is why I went ahead with Kamakhya,” Shah said.

He also questioned Sen’s authority to comment on the film, pointing out that the director was not involved in the research process.

“He doesn’t even know what research we have done. He was not part of the entire research process, so how can he make such comments? I usually don’t react, but when someone attacks my film, I feel compelled to respond. Otherwise, I prefer to stay silent. The film has already been released, and I know the statements he made are baseless. That’s all I can say,” he added.

‘Cannot Rely On WhatsApp Forwards’: Sudipto Sen

Earlier, in an interview with India Today, the 54-year-old filmmaker had said he could not make a film based on “WhatsApp forwards and newspaper reports”.

OPINION | In The ‘Stein’ Of Truth, A Scripted Reality For The Kerala Story 2

“For the first film, I researched the subject for 10 years. I could stand by every word and visual in that film. If the sequel expands beyond Kerala into other states, I cannot rely on WhatsApp forwards or newspaper reports,” Sen said.

“Sensitive subjects require deep research and long-term study. Without that foundation, I wouldn’t feel responsible enough to direct it,” he added.

However, Sen later clarified that he stepped away from the project because his research was limited to just one region.

The Kerala Story 2 Box Office Collection

The Kerala Story 2 is a sequel to The Kerala Story and stars Ulka Gupta, Aditi Bhatia and Aishwarya Ojha as women who face abuse after marrying Muslim men.

The film has so far collected Rs 20.2 crore at the box office. It opened at Rs 75 lakh, largely due to the legal troubles that delayed its release. However, the film saw a jump over the weekend, earning Rs 4.65 crore on Saturday and Rs 4.75 crore on Sunday.

According to early estimates, it earned Rs 2.5 crore on Monday, Rs 4 crore on Tuesday, and Rs 3.5 crore on Wednesday.

The first part of the film had collected Rs 302 crore at the box office. It would be interesting to see if the film matches the box office collection of The Kerala Story.