Despite facing severe criticism for spreading misinformation and stirring communal tensions, "The Kerala Story" is making waves at the box office. According to box office tracking portal Sacnilk, the Adah Sharma starrer earned Rs 16.50 crore on Sunday (May 7), bringing its three-day collection to an impressive Rs 35.75 crore. The film also achieved a 52.92% occupancy rate in the Hindi belt, making it a "clean" hit.
However, the film's screening was canceled in many states, including Tamil Nadu, due to its controversial content and numerous contentious claims, including that over 32,000 women from Kerala have undergone Islamic radicalization and joined ISIS. The Sudipto Sen-directed film received a warm reception in Madhya Pradesh and was declared tax-free.
The movie, which was released on May 5, collected a staggering Rs 8 crore on its opening day, surpassing the opening day collection of "The Kashmir Files" (Rs 3.5 cr) and several other films like "Selfiee" and "Shehzada."
The film tells the story of four women - Shalini (Sharma), Nimah (Yogita Bihani), Geetanjali (Siddhi Idnani), and Asifa (Sonia Balani) - who undergo radicalization and become ISIS brides.
The producers had to fight a legal battle to ensure the film's release. Despite several petitions seeking a ban, the Kerala High Court refused to stall the movie's release after the panel watched the film and stated that it did not contain any offensive statements against any religion or community. "There is something called freedom of speech and expression. They have artistic freedom, we have to balance that also," said Justice N Nagaresh to the legal magazine Live Law.
After facing criticism for exaggerating the number of women recruited by ISIS to 32,000, the producers changed the figure to 3,000.
