The recent release of “The Kerala Story” movie has brought a new wave of controversies in the country. And it is pretty exciting to see how people are reacting to this movie, and the plot that has been shown in the movie itself. And today we will not only take a look at the controversies surrounding this movie, but also other details related to the movie like the main cast, the total budget of the film, and of course how well it is performing at the box office. So without further ado, let’s get straight into it then.
What Is The Kerala Story Movie All About?
The movie follows the story of a young woman named Shalini Unnikrishnan. The movie shows the journey of the main character from being abducted from her home, to being forced to join extremist groups. The main plot of the movie is to show the manipulation of Shalini to join ISIS, which according to the movie makers, is a rapidly rising problem in India.
The Controversy
As of now, since the release of this movie, people in India have held two corners, one side is the people from the right wing that support the film, and the left-wing people criticizing the movie. Those who support the movie say that religious conversion and manipulation is a genuine problem. And people who oppose the movie say that it is just propaganda used by the current government.
Cast and Characters
The filmmakers decide to cast talented actors for the movie, which actually makes the movie really impressive in terms of acting performances. Here are the main characters of the film:
- Adah Sharma plays the protagonist Shalini Unnikrishnan, who later becomes Fatima Ba.
- Yogita Bihani plays the role of Nimah.
- Sonia Balani portrays the character Asifa.
- Siddhi Idnani plays Geetanjali.
Other than these main characters, there are several supporting roles that add depth to the narrative, including Devadarshini as Shalini’s mother, Vijay Krishna, Pranay Pachauri, and Pranav Misshra.
Production and Release
Vipul Amrutlal Shah is the main writer, producer as well as creative director of the movie. After a lot of issues with the release like the CBFC scrutiny and other requested chances, the film was finally released to the general public in India on the 5th of May, 2023. Currently, digital streaming rights are held by the ZEE5 platform, which can give more boost to the popularity of the film.
Budget and Box Office Collection
According to some trustable sources, the budget for this film was approximately 15 to 20 crore rupees. This means, “The Kerala Story” was actually a low-budget film. But despite the low-budget problem, the movie is doing quite great in terms of box office collection. According to recent data, this movie has grossed around 219.38 crore rupees in just three weeks since its release. This is quite a remarkable achievement for a low-budget film, and that is one of the reasons why everybody is talking about this movie.
Verdict
Despite the controversies, this movie shows that there is still potential in Indian cinema, and it can deliver really high-quality content even if the budget for making the film is insanely low.