Director Sudipto Sen has refuted recent media reports that his 2023 film, The Kerala Story, will have a sequel based on the Hema Committee report that details the exploitation and harassment of women in the Malayalam film industry.

However, Sen confirmed that a sequel is definitely on the cards. “I don’t know where this information surfaced from, it is not true. After seeing the reports, Vipul (Shah; producer) and I laughed. There will be a sequel to the film and the scripting is underway, but it has nothing to do with the Hema Committee report.”

Meanwhile, a source close to the production reveals, “The Kerala Story 2 will be based on the radicalisation of the Kerala society, particularly north Kerala, and the spreading of Islamic fundamentalism in the state. It will have nothing to do with Indian politics or religion. It will offer a perspective on how the state has become a hotbed of ISIS recruitment, anti-national and anti-societal movements.”

About who will feature in the sequel, the source shares that it will “definitely have a new cast,” adding, “The film will go on floors early next year and is expected to release in the second half of 2025.”