The Kerala Story enters Rs 50 crores club despite controversies and bans; records 5th highest opening 2023 after Pathaan

Ever since Adah Sharma starrer The Kerala Story hit the theatres, the film has been sparking controversies for its alleged misrepresentation of facts. Recently, the Bengal government imposed a ban on the film, while the Uttar Pradesh government declared it ‘tax-free’. Despite all, the movie is growing bigger at the box office. On the fifth day of its release, the film entered the Rs 50 crore club.

Directed by Sudipto Sen, the film is based on the alleged radicalisation of Kerala women by ISIS. Led by Adah, the film has become the fifth-highest opener for a Hindi film in 2023 after Shah Rukh Khan starrer Pathaan. According to industry tracker Sacnilk, the film earned Rs 11 crore on Tuesday as per early estimates. It started its run in theatres with Rs 8.03 crore, then recorded a surprise jump by earning Rs 11.22 crore and Rs 16.60 crore on Saturday and Sunday. On Monday, the film made a decent collection of Rs 10.07 crore.

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In comparison to recent Hindi film releases including Ajay Devgn’s Bholaa, Kartik Aaryan’s Shehzada and Akshay Kumar’s Selfiee, the Kerala Story performed surprisingly better. While Bholaa crossed the Rs 50 crore mark in a week, Adah’s movie achieved the feat in just five days. On the other hand, Shehzada's (32 crore) and Selfiee’s(16.85 crore) lifetime collection has been alone reached by the movie.

Backed by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, The Kerala Story is centred upon an innocent Hindu woman from Kerala, who gets converted by her persuasive Islamic friends. She is then sent to the ISIS Terrorist Organisation. The makers claimed that the film is based on real-life incidents where around 32,000 women from Kerala have been trapped under such schemes. The film was released on May 4, soon after the protests were staged alleging that the film should be banned.