The Kerala Story box office day 17 collection: Film enters ₹200 crore club, becomes ‘all-time blockbuster’

The Kerala Story has garnered ₹203.47 crore at the domestic box office, over two weeks after the film’s release. Though the film’s collection witnessed a slight dip on its third Monday, it has earned the status of ‘all-time blockbuster’. Directed by Sudipto Sen and fronted by Adah Sharma, the Hindi movie released in India on May 5. (Also Read | The Kerala Story row continues in West Bengal, theatre official says ‘slots are filled, can screen after three weeks’)

Produced by Vipul Shah, The Kerala Story depicts how women from Kerala were forced to convert and recruited by the terror group Islamic State (IS). Apart from Adah, the film also stars Yogita Bihani, Sonia Balani, and Siddhi Idnani. The movie has faced polarised political discourse in the country.

Taking to Twitter on Tuesday, trade analyst Taran Adarsh shared a poster of the film with the words ‘200 not out’ written on it. He tweeted, “#TheKeralaStory cruises past ₹ 200 cr mark… Achieves all-time blockbuster status… [Week 3] Fri 6.60 cr, Sat 9.15 cr, Sun 11.50 cr, Mon 4.50 cr. Total: ₹ 203.47 cr. #India biz. Nett BOC. #Boxoffice.”

On Monday, the film’s production house Sunshine Pictures had said The Kerala Story touched ₹200 crore nett at the domestic box office. Last week, a special screening of The Kerala Story was organised at the main theatre of the Pune-based Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) amid a protest by some students. Despite the heavy police force deployed at the venue, FTII Students’ Association (FTIISA) staged a protest claiming the student community was not informed about the show.

The film was banned by the West Bengal government on May 8, fearing tensions among communities. Theatres in Tamil Nadu had decided to stop the screening from May 7 onwards, citing the law-and-order situation and a poor audience turnout. Last week, the Supreme Court stayed the West Bengal government’s order banning the film in the state and asked Tamil Nadu to ensure the safety of the moviegoers.

Recently, Vipul told news agency ANI that he wanted to invite West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee to watch this movie. He had said, “She can criticise the movie after watching it. We are open to all valid criticisms. But we feel, she was misguided by a few people. Without watching the movie, she called for a ban.”