- By Sukanya Saha
- Mon, 15 May 2023 08:40 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Sudipto Sen's controversial movie The Kerala Story crossed the Rs 100-crore club on May 13, and saw a remarkable one-day growth of Rs 23 crore in India on May 14. The Adah Sharma-led movie has made an impressive collection of over Rs 130 crore in only 10 days, which is a significant accomplishment. Despite being surrounded by several controversies, The Kerala Story has become the second-highest-grossing Hindi film of 2023.
After facing severe backlash and bans, The Kerala Story has received a mixed response from the audience since its release on May 5. Nevertheless, the film has been performing well at the box office and its success has not been affected by the controversies surrounding it.
According to early estimates, The Kerala Story witnessed significant growth on Sunday, its tenth day of release. Its total collection has now reached Rs 135 crore and the movie had a 54.68 per cent Hindi occupancy.
About The Kerala Story:
Adah Sharma plays the role of a Hindu woman from Kerala who is indoctrinated into Islam and taken to Syria in the movie. There she is subjected to torture as a member of the ISIS Terrorist Organisation. The movie, directed by Sudipto Sen and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, claims to be based on real-life events where approximately 32,000 women from Kerala are trapped in a dangerous scheme.
The movie had faced criticism after the release of its trailer, with many calling for it to be banned. The controversy intensified when the film's trailer description was changed from being about the "story of 32,000 women" to that of three women, leading to further debate and protest.
The Producers Guild of India then issued a statement in response to the state-enforced bans on The Kerala Story. This came after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee banned the film in the state to "avoid any incident of hatred and violence."
The statement expressed their distress and strong objection to such bans on the film and emphasised that film releases are regulated by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and any movie that complies with these requirements should not face further obstacles in reaching the paying public. Currently, The Kerala Story is prohibited in both West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.