New Delhi: Sudipto Sen’s controversial movie 'The Kerala Story' has done what many big-ticket Bollywood films have failed to do in recent times. The film is all set to enter the elite Rs 200 crore club on Monday. The film, which is the second biggest hit of the year after Pathaan, has collected Rs 198.97 crore till Sunday (May 21) and will hit the double century on Monday (May 22).
Trade analyst Taran Adarsh took to Twitter to update the box office number of the film. He wrote, “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”
Refusing to slow down, the film collected Rs 9.15 crore on its third Saturday and Rs 11.50 crore on its third Sunday.
Starring Adah Sharma, 'The Kerala Story' depicts how women from Kerala were forced to convert and recruited by the terror group Islamic State (IS). It is produced by Vipul Shah's Sunshine Pictures.
The movie, which has polarised the political discourse in the country, was released in theatres on May 5.
The movie was banned by the West Bengal government on May 8, fearing tensions among communities. Theatres in Tamil Nadu had decided to stop the screening from May 7 onwards, citing the law-and-order situation and a poor audience turnout.
On May 16, the Supreme Court stayed the West Bengal government's order banning the film in the state and asked Tamil Nadu to ensure the safety of the moviegoers.
A special screening of the film was organised at the Pune-based Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) on Saturday amid a protest by some students.
Sudipto Sen visited the campus and interacted with protesting students.