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).
Expressing gratitude, Adah Sharma penned a long note and claimed that the movie is the 1st female-led film to cross Rs. 200 crore. Taking to her Instagram, she wrote, "The best things in life are Unexpected - because there were no expectations. Thank you audience for making this happen. The makers of #TheKeralaStory: Vipul sir who took a huge risk in making this film without any backing from studios and for trusting the girl who played Bhavana Reddy in Commando to be Shalini Unnikrishnan. Sudipto sir for standing by his research for 7 years despite all odds, for being kind to all of us on set and who kept up his pleasant nature in all weather conditions and trials and tribulations."
The movie has also become the second highest-grossing movie after Shah Rukh Khan's Pathaan.
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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