New Delhi [India], February 23 (ANI): A fresh controversy has erupted around the upcoming film 'The Kerala Story 2', with National Award-winning director Kamakhya Narayan Singh launching a sharp attack on actor Prakash Raj over his recent remarks about the movie on social media.

The sequel, scheduled to release in theatres on February 27, has already triggered intense debate following its trailer launch. While some have described it as presenting a 'brutal truth,' others have labelled it 'propaganda.'

The film explores themes of alleged religious conversion and coercion, with its narrative set across Kerala, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

The latest flashpoint came after Prakash Raj shared a post on his official X handle contrasting the 2023 film 'The Kerala Story' with images of pork curry, beef fry, fish curry and vegetarian Onam sadya.

Emphasising culinary coexistence, he wrote, 'The real #KeralaStory is how pork, beef and fish coexist with vegetarian sadya and all of them live in harmony. Please relish #justasking happy Sunday everyone.'

https://x.com/prakashraaj/status/2025438306696396959

Responding to the actor's remarks in a conversation with ANI, Kamakhya Narayan Singh called Raj 'intellectually bankrupt,' and said he was disappointed by the actor's stance.

'I used to think that Prakash Raj ji was a very high-caliber actor, but now I feel that he is equally low as a human being,' Singh said.

He questioned whether allegations of forced feeding of beef and conversion were true, adding that 'I don't know what he himself eats, nor do I care, because his statements reflect what he 'consumes.' But tell me- is it true that our daughters are being forcefully fed beef and converted? And if that is true, then I question Prakash Raj ji's conscience. This can never be acceptable. The civilized society of India will never accept forcing someone to eat beef in order to convert their religion. He has become intellectually bankrupt.'

Amid the debate, producer Vipul Shah clarified that the film does not target Kerala as a state. Speaking to ANI in an earlier interview, Shah said, 'We're not after Kerala. Kerala is God's Country... We want this evil in that state to be eradicated as soon as possible.'

He added that criticism of the first film, particularly regarding the numbers cited in it, led the team to release a video on YouTube detailing figures and names. Shah further alleged that the lack of government action after the first film prompted the making of the sequel.

'Some people criticised the first film, claiming the 32,000 figure was false. We made a video on this figure on YouTube, which is currently available. We've added the names and shown the figures. The government must have even more figures than us, but we've never heard of any strict action being taken since the release of the film...,' he told ANI.

The 'Kerala Story 2' is scheduled to release in theatres on February 27. (ANI)