The Kerala Story has ignited a significant debate among some members of the audience, who are questioning its content. Yet, in just a mere ten days of being in theatres, “The Kerala Story” (TKS) has been incredibly successful and has broken several records.
Starting with the opening day, according to the industry tracker Sacnilk, the film had a decent opening, earning approximately 7.5 crores on its first day. Despite receiving negative reviews, the movie featuring Adah Sharma has been successful in attracting the audience to the theatres.
Moving further, the Vipul Amrutlal Shah produced movie, earned an enormous amount of money during its opening weekend at the box office, surpassing last year’s release, The Kashmir Files, directed by Vivek Agnihotri.
Also, Sudipto Sen’s film, The Kerala Story, has set a record for the highest opening week box office collection for a female-centric movie, surpassing Alia Bhatt’s “Gangubai Kathiawadi,” with a net accumulation of 81.36 crores. However, the controversy surrounding the movie helped to draw audiences to the theaters.
Moreover, the new challenge is to surpass records, not just those of films released so far in 2024 (excluding Pathaan). One such record was held by Alia Bhatt’s films Raazi and Gangubai Kathiawadi, both of which were the highest-grossing female-centric films. However, Adah Sharma’s The Kerala Story has now surpassed the lifetime earnings of both films and that too in just ten days.
The Kerala Story has surpassed Gangubai Kathiawadi by a narrow margin, previously the highest-grossing film. However, what’s truly impressive is that the movie is projected to earn much more in the upcoming days and weeks. Currently, only three female-centric movies have achieved 100 crores or more, and none have entered the 200 crore club.
But soon, The Kerala Story is expected to surpass the 200 crore mark, making history as a double-century maker. In doing so, it will also compete with the record of the biggest movie featuring a male superstar, which would be a significant achievement.
Some categorize movies such as Tanu Weds Manu Returns (152 crores) and Stree (130 crores) as female-centric films, but this is an incorrect interpretation. Tanu Weds Manu Returns featured both Madhavan and Kangana Ranaut in equal roles, with Madhavan even having a title role.
Similarly, Stree had Rajkummar Rao with significantly more screen time than Shraddha Kapoor, who played a central role in the plot but was not the sole lead. However, it is worth mentioning these movies to provide context as The Kerala Story is expected to surpass both in earnings.
Movie Banned in UK Theatres
Success and controversy for “The Kerala Story” are moving parallel to each other as the movie progresses towards its next destination. Sometimes, TKS faces a ban on screening, sometimes, it faces the allegations of being a propaganda film.
Yet another hurdle in its smooth release has come in abroad. As the film was about to release on May 12th in the UK, at the last moment, the British Board of Film Certification denied to give the film the required age rating.
Surprisingly, British Parliamentarians have voiced their concern about the ambiguous cancellation of the movie and issued notices subsequently. Sudipto Sen has expressed his faith in the right of freedom of expression and mentioned that the same would not be taken away in any part of the world.
