‘The Kerala Story’ box office collection day 20: Adah Sharma-starrer mints Rs 210 cr at ticket counters 

The Kerala Story box office earnings latest: Adah Sharma-starrer The Kerala Story has made big bucks at the box office in the three weeks since its release. The film has minted around Rs 210 crore at the ticket counters so far as its total box office collection reached around Rs 210.17 crore as of Wednesday.  

The film raked in Rs 81.14 crore on its first week and went onto rake in Rs 90.58 crore in its second week. The Kerala Story made Rs 6.60 crore on its third Friday, Rs 9.15 crore on its third Saturday, Rs 11.50 crore on its third Sunday, Rs 4.50 crore on its third Monday, Rs 3.50 crore on its third Tuesday, and is estimated to have collected around Rs 3.20 crore on its third Wednesday, as per trade portal Sacnilk.  

Meanwhile, Gangs of Wasseypur actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui took a veiled dig at The Kerala Story. Siddiqui said in an interview to News18 that filmmakers make films to foster social harmony and love among people and that it is the filmmakers’ responsibility to propagate the same.  

He added: “But if a film has the power to break people and social harmony, it’s extremely wrong. We need to unite the world, not divide it”.  

The Kerala Story focuses on the stories of three women from Kerala who were allegedly forcefully converted to Islam and recruited to the terror outfit ISIS. Directed by Sudipto Sen and backed by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, the film features Adah Sharma, Sonia Balani, Siddhi Idnani, Yogita Bihani, and Pranay Pachauri in lead roles.  

The film has been controversy’s favourite child ever since its trailer released on YouTube. The trailer landed into hot waters due to its description which read: “heartbreaking and gut-wrenching stories of 32,000 females in Kerala…”. Shortly after the trailer release, a petition was filed against the film with the Supreme Court seeking a stay on its release. The petition said that the film was the “worst kind of hate speech” and “audio-visual propaganda”.  

The top court said that the Censor Board of Film Certification (CBFC) certified the film for public viewing. It also asked the makers to add a disclaimer saying that the film is a fictitious story and not inspired from real events. 

The film was also criticised by many political figures as a work of propaganda and for allegedly distorting the state’s reality. Makers of the film were accused of fabricating the number “32,000 women” and claiming their work was based on a true story.  

Soon after the condemnation from politicians and courts’ intervention, the makers changed the film’s description from “heartbreaking and gut-wrenching stories of 32,000 females in Kerala…” to “true stories of three young girls from Kerala”. 

Also read: 'The Kerala Story' is unstoppable at box office, crosses Rs 200 crore mark

Also read: ‘The Kerala Story’ box office collection day 17: Adah Sharma film set to cross Rs 200-crore mark today