The Kerala Story on OTT: Digital premiere of Adah Sharma's controversial movie delayed because of this reason

The streaming rights of the controversial film The Kerala Story remain in limbo as filmmakers struggle to secure a digital partner willing to meet their asking price. Despite its success at the box office, the movie has yet to make its OTT premiere.

An industry source, speaking anonymously, revealed, "The filmmakers seem to be asking for a lot of money for the film's streaming rights. The demand is somewhere in the ballpark of Rs 50 crore." This substantial asking price has deterred potential buyers. 

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The movie was released last month in cinemas without finalising its streaming deals. "Not many were interested in buying the film before its theatrical release. Now, after its box office success, streaming platforms are unable to accommodate the filmmakers' asking price," said the source familiar with the matter.

The Kerala Story initially received limited attention until its theatrical release on May 5. The film received mixed reviews and faced controversies, often being labelled as a "propaganda film." However, the controversies surrounding the movie and its subsequent media coverage contributed to its performance at the ticket windows. Surpassing expectations, the film achieved significant success, earning over Rs 200 crore globally.

Earlier, the film's director Sudipto also confirmed that the producers were not able to find a suitable deal with a streaming partner . However, he also alleged that the "industry (read Bollywood) had ganged up against the filmmakers." 

"We are still waiting for a good workable deal from any of the main OTT platforms. But so far, we have not got any offer worth considering. It seems the film industry has ganged up to punish us. Our box office success has irked many sections of the film industry. We have a feeling that a section of the entertainment industry has united to punish us for our success," Sudipto told Bollywood Hungama earlier. 

The Kerala Story portrays the journey of three Malayali girls who become radicalised and join the ISIS terror organisation. The film initially faced backlash when it claimed to depict the suffering of "32,000 women from Kerala." Following widespread outrage, the filmmakers revised the description to state that it tells the story of "three Malayali girls."

Written and directed by Sudipto, the film stars Adah Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Sonia Balani, and Siddhi Idnani.