Amid early controversies about the actual figures pertaining to the victim girls being quoted in the trailer and an early ban in West Bengal, Vipul Amrit Shah’s ‘ The Kerala Story’ entered the 200 cr club on the 18th day of its release on May 22.
Adah Sharma’s starrer film collection on May 23 was of 4cr, taking its tally at the box office to around 207 cr, surpassing Ranveer Kapoor starrer ‘Tu Jhooti Mai Makkar’ to become the second most successful movie of the year so far.
Taking it to Twitter, trade Analyst Taran Adarsh reported that the film cruises past the 200 cr mark to achieve all-time Blockbuster status on its third Monday after minting around 4.50cr at the box office, taking its collection to 203.47 cr.
Though the film witnessed a slight dip in its collection on May 23, it’s still believed to earn more in the coming weeks as a ban on the film imposed by the West Bengal Government has been stayed following a Supreme Court’s order, earlier the Mamata Banerjee Government had imposed a ban on the movie claiming that the release of the movie can disturb the communal harmony in the State.
The Stalin-led Government in Tamilnadu, too, while following the same suit, cited law and order issues and stated that the theatre owners had halted the screening of the film due to security concerns on their own, to which the epic court in its judgment, instructed the Tamil Nadu Government to make adequate security arrangements to the moviegoers.
However, despite the controversies and a ban, the film created quite a roar at the box office and successfully earned the status of an all-time blockbuster in only three weeks. The film has also been released overseas, where it’s garnering praise from the audience.
Expressing her delight over the film’s success overseas, Adah Sharma, the lead actress of the movie, took it on Twitter on May 23, saying “that it’s heartening to see that even internationally’ the Kerala story’ is touching hearts of so many. It’s just two days old in the UK, USA, Canada and Australia, and other countries have been reading your messages as well”, twitted an elated Sharma.
On the third Saturday in India more people went to watch TKS than the first ! whaaaaa???!!!!😍❤️
Heartening to see that even internationally #TheKeralaStory is touching hearts of so many ❤️❤️ it's just two days old in the UK …. USA ,Cannada , Australia and other countries been… pic.twitter.com/SkKOWuqVUk— Adah Sharma (@adah_sharma) May 22, 2023
Earlier in an interview with News 18, the 1920 famed actress had quoted that “As an actor, she knew that this was a subject that if people watched, they would connect emotionally with it.
“The mother-daughter emotion is really strong in the film. That is what touched me when I heard the script. It is a haunting thing. It is scary. I thought that if the mother-daughter connects (with the audience), it would really work. But I didn’t expect this. I didn’t expect so many crores of people to watch it,” quoted Adah Sharma.
The film revolves around the story of non-Muslim girls from Kerala who got trapped, brainwashed, converted to Islam and trafficked to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) as sex slaves. The film also highlights the deep-rooted ties between ISIS and their sleeper cells operating in Kerala.
Earlier, Vipul Amrit Shah and Sudipto Sen, the respective producer and director of the film, presented as many as 26 victims girls who had fallen prey to Love Jihad in a press conference at RangSharda Hall in Bandra on May 17. Speaking with the media on the occasion, the makers of the film asserted that it is their responsibility to give voice to the victims of Love Jihad. They cannot just sit back by making the film.
The producer of the film Vipul Amrit Shah while replying to a query about the figures of the victim girl converted and trafficked to ISIS, said that a few people called the film propaganda, but the audience made it clear what it is for them.
