Headlined by Adah Sharma, The Kerala Story refuses to slow down and continues its successful run in the theatres surprsing the audiences and the film industry. The controversial film, directed by Sudipto Sen, crossed the Rs 100 crore mark at the box office worldwide on its second Friday.
Despite a couple of new Hindi film releases in the form of Vidyut Jammwal's spy thriller IB 71 and Bellamkonda Srinivas' Bollywood debut Chatrapathi, The Kerala Story collected Rs 12.23 crore on May 12, taking its net domestic collection to Rs 93.37 crore and worldwide gross collection to Rs 109.25 crore, as per the entertainment tracking portal Sacnilk.com.
This makes The Kerala Story the fifth Bollywood film to cross the three-digit mark at the box office globally in 2023 after Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, and John Abraham-starrer Pathaan, Ranbir Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor-starrer Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar, Ajay Devgn and Tabu-starrer Bholaa, and Salman Khan and Pooja Hegde-starrer Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan.
Apart from Adah Sharma, The Kerala Story also stars Yogita Bihani, Siddhi Idnani, and Sonia Balani in key roles. The Sudipto Sen directorial has been mired in controversies since its teaser release last year over its questionable claims that 32,000 Hindu women from Kerala were forcibly converted to Islam in recent years.
The Kerala Story has been called a propaganda piece by opposition leaders, including Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who also banned the film in her state. Tamil Nadu multiplex owners have also stopped the film's screenings. In contrast, it has been endorsed by PM Modi and declared tax-free in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
READ | Aishwarya Rajesh opens up on The Kerala Story controversy, says 'there are always two sides...' | Exclusive
