By - Amit kumaR Agarwal
Love Aatankwad is a reality today, there is no point in turning a blind eye to it. Even the rational people, not only in India, but across the world, that believe in facts and figures have admitted that it is happening in India, on a large scale.
In the context of India, the menace has become a huge problem. The writer knows about three high-profile cases in his circle. Kerala Story 2 Goes Beyond is inspired by many such cases; few that are reported and many that go unreported.
Spiritual sequel to The Kerala Story, the film takes three cases and unfolds through the lives of three girls. An underage girl Divya Paliwal (Aditi Bhatia), an aspiring athlete, Neha (Aishwarya Ojha) deceived into a relationship by a man with false Hindu identity and an urban naxal girl Surekha (Ulka Gupta) happily moving to 'live-in' with her 'progressive' muslim boyfriend.
How their lives are forever changed forms the narrative of the film.
The film is very gripping and the screenplay is crisp. Many scenes will shock you; the way a national level athlete is reduced to a sex slave is brutal. The irony is, her love story unfolds in front of Taj Mahal, perceived symbol of love by many!
As an audience you do have a few questions, regarding the connections in the film, but the thematic relevance and importance of the subject makes you overlook this inconsistency.
All the actors have done a fabulous job, if the female leads are good, the male antagonists and the supporting cast are well cast as well. The direction by Kamakhya Narain Singh is very gripping. Technically the film wears a polished look.
One song, O Maayi Ri, sung very beautifully by Shreya Ghoshal and penned very articulately by Manoj Muntashir, particularly stands out. It will surely well-up the eyes of many mothers and may be fathers as well, in the audiences.
The film is already a hit and given the two-week period till March 19, should continue to dominate the box-office. The Kerala Story 2 Goes Beyond is one of those rare sequels that go up the original - in the history of world cinema, only few titles come to my mind that achieved the feat - Kill Bill: Volume 2, Housefull 2, KGF 2, Pushpa 2 - that's it. The Kerala Story 2 joins the elite list.