The Kerala Story, starring Adah Sharma, made headlines upon its release, becoming embroiled in a web of controversies. Despite facing calls for a ban, protests, and ongoing uproar, the film managed to amass a staggering 200 crores within just 18 days of its release. Directed by Sudipto Sen, the movie sheds light on the forced conversions and recruitment of Kerala women by the terrorist group Islamic State (IS). However, on its 19th day, the film experienced a significant decline in box office earnings, recording its lowest figure to date.
According to trade reports, "The Kerala Story" witnessed a substantial drop in its collection on Day 19, grossing only Rs 4 crore. This marks its lowest collection thus far, bringing the film's total earnings to Rs 207.47 crore. On May 23, the Hindi version of the film had an overall occupancy rate of 13.84 percent.
The movie 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.
About 'The Kerala Story'
In ‘The Kerala Story’, actress Adah Sharma plays the role of Fathima Ba, a Hindu Malayali nurse, who is among the 32,000 women who went missing from Kerala and were then recruited to the ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) after being forced to convert to Islam. Also, the film highlights 'Love Jihad' propaganda, where Muslim men manipulate Hindu girls to convert to Islam and abandon their families.
Soon after the trailer of the film was released, a petition was filed against it on grounds of 'worst kind of hate speech' and 'audio-visual propaganda'. Many political leaders slammed the film and claimed that the makers are making false claims that it is a real story and that the number '32000 women' is fake.
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