The Kerala Story, which was released in May to incredible box office success but an equal amount of controversy, is struggling to find any buyers for its over-the-top (OTT) release, according to its director Sudipto Sen.The Adah Sharma starrer film was supposed to get its OTT release in June, but according to Sen, there is yet to be an offer that is suitable for acceptance. Earlier, it was reported that ZEE5 had acquired the streaming rights to the film, but it was rubbished by the director.“We still havent got a suitable offer from any OTT platform for The Kerala Story,” said Sudipto Sen, who directed and co-wrote the film. “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.”No OTT takers for #TheKeralaStory— Aravind Bala (@aravindbal) June 25, 2023Industry is punishing Kerala Story for success: DirectorSudipto Sen claimed that “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.” According to the director, the sensitive subject matter of the film and the controversy surrounding it has driven away prospective OTT buyers, who are reluctant to get embroiled in any political controversy.Indeed, the film has been extremely controversial since its release. Its gross misrepresentation of the figures behind the alleged conversion racket in Kerala – initially claimed in the teaser to be 32,000 – resulted in it being banned by the West Bengal government. The film also faced litigation in the high courts of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The bans were finally lifted when the film put a disclaimer saying that the events in the story are fictionalised, among other changes.However, the controversy seemed to only popularise the film even further, which earned ₹240 crore in domestic box office income. Coupled with releases in Australia and the US, the film has crossed the ₹300 crore mark in total worldwide income. It is the second-highest-earning film of the year behind Shah Rukh Khan starrer Pathaan.50 days of #TheKeralaStory in theatres … which was your favourite scene #askadah pic.twitter.com/ES2zKoZ79N— Adah Sharma (@adah_sharma) June 24, 2023
