New Delhi: Filmmaker Sudipto Sen’s The Kerala Story, which has been facing ban and protests, has crossed the Rs 50 crore mark at the box office. Despite bans and protests, the controversial film has been going strong at the ticket window. The Adah Sharma starrer collected Rs 11.14 crore on Tuesday, bringing the five-day total to Rs 56.86 crore.
Trade analyst Taran Adarsh tweeted the film’s box office numbers. “He wrote, #TheKeralaStory continues its BLOCKBUSTER RUN… Hits HALF-CENTURY [₹ 50 cr]… Day 5 [Tue] is HIGHER than Day 4 [Mon] and Day 1 [Fri]SUPERB TRENDING… Fri 8.03 cr, Sat 11.22 cr, Sun 16.40 cr, Mon 10.07 cr, Tue 11.14 cr. Total: ₹ 56.86 cr. #India biz. #Boxoffice”
#TheKeralaStory continues its BLOCKBUSTER RUN… Hits HALF-CENTURY [₹ 50 cr]… Day 5 [Tue] is HIGHER than Day 4 [Mon] and Day 1 [Fri]SUPERB TRENDING… Fri 8.03 cr, Sat 11.22 cr, Sun 16.40 cr, Mon 10.07 cr, Tue 11.14 cr. Total: ₹ 56.86 cr. #India biz. #Boxoffice pic.twitter.com/2hcXS4LN9D
— Taran Adarsh (@taran_adarsh) May 10, 2023
The film, depicting the plight of a group of women in Kerala who are allegedly forced to convert and join ISIS, courted controversy ever since its trailer was released.
On Monday, the film was banned in West Bengal to avoid “any incident of hatred and violence”. Multiplexes across Tamil Nadu have also cancelled screenings of the controversial film from Sunday, citing law and order issues and poor public response.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear on May 12 a plea by the producers of the film against the West Bengal government’s ban on screening of the movie after the makers said they are “losing money everyday”.
According to PTI, Senior advocate Harish Salve mentioned the matter for urgent listing before a bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice P S Narasimha.
Salve said the petition challenges the ban by the West Bengal government and the “de-facto” ban in Tamil Nadu.
The Supreme Court will also hear a plea against the Kerala High Court order refusing to stay the release of the film on May 15.
The Producers Guild of India issued a statement condemning the ban. “The Producers Guild of India is distressed by, and would like to record its strong objection to, state-enforced bans on ‘The Kerala Story’. As emphasised by us on several occasions in the past, film releases are regulated by CBFC and any film that complies with this statutory requirement should face no further hurdles in having the paying public decide on its fate. Of course, the audience can choose to watch or ignore any film but that is a choice that should be theirs to make, not one that is imposed on them by any party other than CBFC,” the guild said in a statement.
‘The Kerala Story’ was released on May 5.