'The Kerala Story' set to cross INR 2 billion mark

Mumbai: The highly acclaimed film "The Kerala Story" is poised to surpass the ₹200 crore mark today, solidifying its place as a box office success.

On its 17th day, the film collected an impressive ₹11.50 crore, bringing its total earnings to ₹198 crore.

Directed by Sudipto Sen and produced by Vipul Shah, the film sheds light on the forced conversion and recruitment of women from Kerala by the terror group Islamic State (IS).

Starring Adah Sharma, Sonia Balani, Yogita Bihani, and Siddhi Idnani, the movie hit theaters on May 5.

Film trade analyst Taran Adarsh took to Twitter to share the film's third-weekend box office collection, stating that "The Kerala Story" will achieve the coveted ₹200 crore milestone on its 18th day, making it the second Hindi film in 2023 to reach this achievement after "Pathaan" in January.

DOUBLE CENTURY… #TheKeralaStory will hit ₹ 200 cr TODAY [Mon; Day 18]… The second #Hindi film to cross the coveted number in 2023, after #Pathaan [Jan 2023]… [Week 3] Fri 6.60 cr, Sat 9.15 cr, Sun 11.50 cr. Total: ₹ 198.97 cr. #India biz. Nett BOC. #Boxoffice pic.twitter.com/PIdIwl4c8J

— taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) May 22, 2023

Despite facing obstacles such as the film not being screened in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal due to protests and bans, the movie has managed to achieve remarkable commercial success.

The controversy surrounding the film led to theater owners in West Bengal refraining from screening it, even after the Supreme Court overturned the ban imposed by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Sudipto Sen, the director, speculated that theater owners might be fearful of screening the film due to threats they have received.

The film's distributor in Bengal confirmed that no theater owner had agreed to screen the film as of yet.