The Kerala Story 2 Kerala Box Office: The Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond, directed by Kamakhya Narayan Singh and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah under Sunshine Pictures, completed its first two days in theatres after releasing on February 27. As of Sunday, March 1, the film is running in its third day across cinemas, with attention turning to its performance in Kerala amid continuing public debate.
The sequel, which stars Ulka Gupta, Aditi Bhatia and Aishwarya Ojha, arrived in theatres following legal proceedings in the Kerala High Court. A single bench had initially granted an interim stay on its release, but a division bench later lifted the stay, allowing screenings to proceed. The film’s teaser and trailer had earlier sparked discussion on social media, with critics alleging that the narrative portrayed Kerala negatively.
According to film industry tracker AB George, The Kerala Story 2 recorded an estimated gross of ₹6 lakh in the state over its first two days. Of this, approximately ₹5.20 lakh is reported to have come on February 28 alone. The figures are gross estimates and reflect collections within Kerala.
The Kerala Story 2 Kerala Response
Reports suggest that several shows across the state were either sparsely attended or cancelled over the first two days due to low footfall. Even on Sunday, traditionally considered a stronger day for theatrical turnout, booking platforms such as BookMyShow reportedly indicated limited traction in many centres. Trade observers have also indicated that the film’s response outside Kerala has not been particularly strong in its initial days. The reported obstruction of screenings by members of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DFYI) in certain parts of Kerala also drew attention during the film’s initial days in theatres.
The film expands upon the narrative introduced in The Kerala Story, which was released in May 2023. The earlier instalment, directed by Sudipto Sen, went on to record over ₹300 crore in worldwide gross and emerged as one of the higher-grossing Hindi releases of that year. It featured Adah Sharma, Siddhi Idnani, Yogita Bihani and Sonia Balani in lead roles.
In its sequel, the storyline shifts focus to multiple young women across different states, exploring themes of personal relationships and alleged religious conversion. The film also includes scenes that have drawn criticism, including depictions involving religious identity and coercion.
With Day 3 collections still being compiled, the opening weekend total in Kerala will become clearer once final numbers are consolidated. The coming days are expected to offer a clearer picture of the film’s trajectory at the state box office.