‘The Kerala Story 2’ Sees Weekday Fluctuations, Earns Over ₹20 Crore in First Week

‘The Kerala Story 2’ Crosses ₹20 Crore in Six Days as Box Office Run Shows Fluctuating Trend

The Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond, produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, has crossed the ₹20 crore mark at the Indian box office within six days of its release. Despite legal challenges and ongoing controversy surrounding the film, the sequel has managed a steady—though fluctuating—run in theatres.

Directed by Kamakhya Narayan Singh, the film released last week after the Kerala High Court lifted a temporary stay on its release, allowing it to screen nationwide.

Box Office Performance So Far

According to trade estimates, the film collected approximately ₹3.5 crore on Day 6 (Wednesday), bringing its six-day India net total to around ₹20.15 crore.

Day-wise India Net Collection

• Day 1 (Friday): ₹0.75 crore
• Day 2 (Saturday): ₹4.65 crore
• Day 3 (Sunday): ₹4.75 crore
• Day 4 (Monday): ₹2.5 crore
• Day 5 (Tuesday): ₹4 crore
• Day 6 (Wednesday): ₹3.5 crore

The film experienced its most noticeable drop on Monday after the weekend, before seeing a brief recovery during the Holi holiday period, which boosted weekday footfall in theatres.

The sequel registered around 14–15% overall Hindi occupancy on Wednesday, with stronger attendance reported in cities such as Chennai, Ahmedabad, and Surat.

Performance Compared to the First Film

Despite crossing ₹20 crore in its first week, The Kerala Story 2 is currently trailing behind the performance of its predecessor.

The original 2023 film “The Kerala Story,” directed by Sudipto Sen, earned over ₹68 crore in its first six days and eventually concluded its domestic run with approximately ₹241.74 crore.

Produced on a budget of about ₹15 crore, the first film became a major sleeper hit. The sequel, however, has been made on a reported budget of around ₹30 crore, meaning it still needs additional earnings to recover its production cost through theatrical revenue.

Legal Challenges Before Release

The film’s release was delayed following legal petitions alleging that its content maligns the state of Kerala and misrepresents its people.

A Kerala High Court Division Bench comprising Justices SA Dharmadhikari and PV Balakrishnan eventually allowed the film to release after staying an earlier interim order that had halted its theatrical debut for 15 days.

The controversy began shortly after the trailer launch, with critics describing the film as “propaganda.” The makers have maintained that the story is based on researched incidents.

Dispute Between Producer and Original Film’s Director

The sequel has also sparked a public disagreement between producer Vipul Amrutlal Shah and Sudipto Sen, the director of the first film.

Sen recently suggested that the sequel was based on “WhatsApp forwards” rather than extensive research. Responding to the criticism, Shah rejected the claim and said Sen had no involvement in the research conducted for the sequel.

Shah also revealed that Sen had previously written a script for The Kerala Story 2, which he chose not to produce.

According to Shah, the film ultimately moved forward with Kamakhya Narayan Singh as director after that decision.

Producer on the Possibility of a Third Film

Speaking earlier about the franchise’s future, Shah said the sequel was not originally planned.

He explained that after the success of the first film, the team began receiving numerous accounts and stories related to the subject matter, which encouraged them to expand the narrative beyond Kerala.

However, Shah clarified that there are currently no confirmed plans for a third installment, though the possibility could be explored if new stories emerge.

Film Cast and Plot

The Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond follows the stories of three young women from different parts of India who enter marriages that the film portrays as deceptive and later face alleged coercion and abuse.

The film features a cast including:

• Ulka Gupta
• Aditi Bhatia
• Aishwarya Ojha
• Sumit Gahlawat
• Arjan Singh Aujla
• Yuktam Kholsa

Produced under Sunshine Pictures, the film expands the narrative of the original story beyond Kerala to explore incidents across multiple regions.

Outlook for the Second Week

With no major theatrical releases scheduled until March 19, when the spy thriller “Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge” arrives, the sequel may benefit from relatively limited competition in the immediate week.

The coming weekend is expected to play a crucial role in determining whether The Kerala Story 2 can sustain momentum and move closer to recovering its production budget.