The Kerala Story box office day 1 collection: Sudipto Sen’s film earns over ₹8 crore amid controversy

The Kerala Story, which found itself engulfed in controversies, has earned over ₹8 crore at the domestic box office. The film which released in cinemas on Friday has been written and directed by Sudipto Sen. The Kerala Story stars Adah Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Siddhi Idnani and Sonia Balani in the lead roles. (Also Read | Kangana Ranaut reacts to The Kerala Story row: ‘If you think it’s attacking you then you are a terrorist’)

According to the makers, The Kerala Story unearths the events behind approximately 32,000 women going missing in Kerala who are converted, and deployed in terror missions in India and the world. The Kerala Story is backed by Sunshine Pictures Private Limited, founded by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, who serves as the producer, creative director and co-writer on the film.

Taking to Twitter on Saturday, film analyst Taran Adarsh tweeted, “#TheKeralaStory hits the ball out of the stadium… Takes a SMASHING START… Evening + night shows witness solid occupancy… The Day 1 numbers are an EYE-OPENER for the entire industry… TERRIFIC weekend assured… Fri ₹ 8.03 cr. #India biz. #Boxoffice.”

The trailer of the film came under fire as it claimed that 32,000 girls from the state went missing and later joined the terrorist group, ISIS. The Kerala Story became a topic for discussion around the numbers being exaggerated in the trailer of the film. The Kerala High Court noted on Friday that the producers have published a disclaimer along with the movie which specifically says that the film has fictionalised and is a dramatised version of events and that the film doesn’t claim accuracy or factuality of historic events.

Recently, Sudipto opened up on The Kerala Story at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). As quoted by news agency ANI, he said, “People should watch it, if you like it, it will be the biggest prize for me. I take my film to Vipul (producer Vipul Amrutlal Shah). He liked the story. He was in tears. Then we decided to make the film and it’s been a long seven-year journey after which we finally managed to complete the film.”

Talking about the film ahead of its release, theatre owners in Kerala said that bookings were average, despite the huge adverse publicity generated by it. Suresh Shenoy, who runs eight theatres in Kochi including the Shenoy’s multiplex, told news agency PTI, “We do not expect any kind of protests against the film. It is unlikely.” He said that the film, which will be screened at the multiplex he owns, has received average bookings as expected from a “small Hindi film like this”.