Made in Rs 15 crore, this film faced protests, was heavily criticised, still earned Rs 300 crore, became highest-grossing film in India with...

Headlined by Adah Sharma, the socio-political drama The Kerala Story was directed by Sudipto Sen and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah. The film is based on the alleged radicalisation and conversion of young Hindu women to Islam in Kerala before inducting them into the terrorist outfit Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The Kerala Story was dubbed Islamophobic, faced huge protests in Kerala, and was even banned in West Bengal before the Supreme Court lifted the ban. Multiple celebrities including Kamal Haasan, Anurag Kashyap, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, and Naseeruddin Shah objected to the ban, but spoke against the film calling it a piece of propagandanda. 

When The Kerala Story was finally released in the theatres in May 2023, it even received extremely negative reviews from the critics for its poor direction, boring screenplay, and weak performances. Still, as the film was heavily promoted by the incumbent Bharatiya Janta Party and with even the PM Narendra Modi supporting it, The Kerala Story went on to become a huge blockbuster. The Adah Sharma-starrer earned grossed Rs 302 crore worldwide. With a modest budget of around Rs 15 crore, the film became one of the most profitable movies in Bollywood.

The Sudipto Sen directorial also became the highest-grossing film in India with a female lead. With the collections of Rs 242 crore net in India, The Kerala Story surpassed Kangana Ranaut-starrer Tanu Weds Manu Returns and Alia Bhatt's Gangubai Kathiawadi, which had collected Rs 150 crore and Rs 132 crore in India, respectively. 

Apart from Adah Sharma, The Kerala Story also starred Yogita Bihani,  Sonia Balani, Siddhi Idnani, Pranay Pachauri, Priyadarshini, and Pranav Misshra in key supporting roles. The controversial film started streaming on the OTT platform ZEE5 in February 2024, nine months after its theatrical release.

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