Box office experts and trade analysts say 'The Kerala Story' has grossed over ₹35 crore since its 5 May release.
Image from the teaser of Kerala Love Story.
The controversy surrounding The Kerala Story — which has been both panned and largely ignored in the South — is helping it do well at the box office in most other parts of the country.
Despite being criticised as propaganda, or perhaps because of it, the film has gained traction, especially in the North.
According to box office experts and trade analysts, the film has recorded steady growth in its collections since its release on 5 May.
The film, dubbed as “Sangh Parivar propaganda” by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, portrays Kerala as fertile ground for religious conversions and recruitment to the Islamic State and has evoked widespread ire in the state.
It is estimated to have collected more than ₹35 crore at the box office till Sunday, 7 May, and several reports claim that the film might collect as high as ₹10 crore on Monday, taking the total count to ₹45 crore.
The first day witnessed a collection of ₹8.03 crore, which is considered the fifth-highest opening day collection for a Bollywood movie this year.
The second day, Saturday, saw a collection of ₹11.22 crore and on Sunday, it is estimated to have collected ₹16 crore at the box office.
In fact, according to another report, the film also ranks amongst the Top 5 highest-grossing films for a female-centric movie in the first week.
Actress Kangana Ranaut’s Manikarnika collected over ₹40 crore whereas Alia Bhat starrers Gangubai Kathiawadi and Veere Di Wedding recently collected more than ₹35 crore in their first week.
However, there were fewer number screening in the South Indian states.
Mukesh R Mehta of E4 Entertainment, which distributed the film in Kerala, told South First that at present 31 screens were showing The Kerala Story with 80 percent occupancy.
The Kerala Story’s success is because of the publicity it garnered, be it good or bad, said another distributor.
Meanwhile, BJP Kerala chief K Surendran alleged that there was an unofficial ban on The Kerala Story in the state.
Theatres in Tamil Nadu stopped screening the movie on Sunday, citing poor occupancy as “people lacked an interest” in the film.
In Karnataka, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi endorsed the movie saying that it speaks about the reality in Kerala, BJP president JP Nadda attended a special screening organised in Bengaluru.
Declared tax-free in Madhya Pradesh, and with other significant releases — also the disastrous performance of Kisika Bhai Kisiki Jaan — the film has fared well up North, at least in the first week, experts said.
“To top it all, even Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioning the film during one of his campaign rallies in Karnataka has boosted its collection,” one distributor said.
Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak said if there is a proposal, the state government will make the film tax-free.
However, the Opposition-ruled West Bengal government, on Monday, decided to ban the movie in the state, citing security issues.
“This is to avoid any incident of hatred and violence, and to maintain peace in the state,” Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was quoted as saying in reports.
Meanwhile, a man was allegedly beaten up and threatened in Jodhpur in Rajasthan for posting positive reviews about the controversial film on his social media account and urging people, especially young women, to watch it, police said.
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