Back قصة كيرالا Arabic দ্য কেৰালা ষ্ট’ৰী Assamese দ্য কেরালা স্টোরি Bengali/Bangla داستان کرالا Persian The Kerala Story Finnish ધ કેરલા સ્ટોરી Gujarati द केरल स्टोरी Hindi The Kerala Story ID ದ ಕೇರಳ ಸ್ಟೋರಿ (ಚಲನಚಿತ್ರ) Kannada ദി കേരള സ്റ്റോറി Malayalam
| The Kerala Story | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Sudipto Sen |
| Written by |
|
| Produced by | Vipul Amrutlal Shah |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Prasantanu Mohapatra |
| Edited by | Sanjay Sharma |
| Music by |
|
Production company | Sunshine Pictures[1] |
Release date |
|
Running time | 138 minutes[2] |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
| Budget | ₹15–20 crore[3] |
| Box office | est. ₹303.97 crore[4] |
The Kerala Story is a 2023 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Sudipto Sen and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah.[1] It stars Adah Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Sonia Balani, and Siddhi Idnani. The plot follows a group of women from Kerala who are coerced into converting to Islam and joining the Islamic State.[5][6] Marketed as a true story, the film is premised on the Hindutva conspiracy theory of "love jihad",[7] and falsely claims that thousands of Hindu women from Kerala have been converted to Islam and recruited in the Islamic State.[8][9]
The Kerala Story released in theatres on 5 May 2023. With a worldwide gross of ₹303.97 crore (US$36 million), it became the ninth-highest-grossing Hindi film of 2023.[10][11] It was heavily promoted by the incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which leveraged the film in its campaigning for the Karnataka assembly election.[12][13] However, film critics accorded it overwhelmingly negative reviews, characterising the work as Islamophobic propaganda.[14][15][6] The film has also faced protracted litigation and protests, primarily in Kerala, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.
- ^ a b "'The Kerala Story', starring Adah Sharma, gets release date". The Hindu. PTI. 24 April 2023. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 26 April 2023. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
- ^ "Change City". m.inoxmovies.com. Archived from the original on 8 January 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
- ^ "'Will rock box office': The Kerala Story destined to earn Rs 100 crore despite Bengal ban". Business Today (in Hindi). 10 May 2023. Archived from the original on 10 May 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
- ^ "The Kerala Story Box office collection". Bollywood Hungama. 5 May 2023. Archived from the original on 7 May 2023. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
- ^ "Dozens held in India after Islamic State film row". BBC News. 16 May 2023. Archived from the original on 21 May 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
- ^ a b "How a Low-Budget Hindi Film Ignited Deadly Religious Tension". Time. 18 May 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
- ^ "Kerala Story: Film on alleged Indian ISIL recruits gets pushback". Archived from the original on 6 May 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
- ^ "'32000 Kerala women in ISIS': Misquotes, flawed math, imaginary figures behind filmmaker's claim". Alt News. 8 November 2022. Archived from the original on 3 December 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
- ^ Ellis-Petersen, Hannah (9 November 2022). "Indian police investigating film that portrays Kerala as Islamic terrorism hub". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 2 December 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
- ^ "Bollywood Top Grossers Worldwide: 2023". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 26 January 2023. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
- ^ Hungama, Bollywood (8 January 2024). "From Jawan's Rs. 600+ crores to 21 films earning in Rs. 0-1 crore range, here are the MOST DEFINITIVE box office RECORDS of 2023". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- ^ "'The Kerala Story' takes centre stage as other issues pushed to back-burner in Karnataka polls". English.Mathrubhumi. 10 May 2023. Archived from the original on 19 May 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
- ^ "PM invokes 'The Kerala Story' to slam Congress in Karnataka rally". The Times of India. 6 May 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 19 May 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
- ^ Bureau, The Hindu (7 May 2023). "The Kerala Story pulled out of multiplexes in Tamil Nadu". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 9 May 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
{{cite news}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ "The Kerala Story: Why an Indian film on Islamic State is so controversial". BBC News. 10 May 2023. Archived from the original on 19 May 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2023.