The joys of being a ‘people’s star’: Adah Sharma, leading lady of ‘The Kerala Story’, attributes movie’s success to the word of mouth effect at the grassroots

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

Adah Sharma is on a roll. Her recent venture, ‘The Kerala Story’, has had a phenomenal run at the box-office. With a collection of more than Rs 300 crore (worldwide), the movie is currently the highest-grossing female-led film, surpassing Alia Bhatt’s ‘Raazi’ and ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ and Kangana Ranaut’s ‘Tanu Weds Manu’ series.

However, ‘The Kerala Story’ has been a controversy’s child from the very beginning. From getting lampooned by the critics for alleged factual inaccuracies to inviting criticism for purportedly attempting to fan communal tensions, the Sudipto Sen directorial has hit the headlines for the wrong reasons, more than a few times. In a chat with ET Panache Digital, Sharma recounts her journey of headlining one of the biggest hits of this year and dealing with naysayers.Dolna Ray: ‘TKS’ became one of the highest-grossing films of 2023, with a domestic collection of about Rs 240 cr.

How are you celebrating?Adah Sharma: It’s incredibly validating as an actor. All these crores are a testament that more people are watching my film. Just the news of Indians watching ‘The Kerala Story’ is a celebration for me.DR: When you started filming, did you have any idea that this movie would become such a monumental success?AS: If I could predict the future, I would be a jyotish! No, we had no idea that the audience response would be so tremendous.

But life is full of surprises like that. It's in all these number-1 lists and all and that makes me happy, but seeing the reaction from the audience makes me the happiest.DR: What drew you to the character of Shalini Unnikrishnan? Do you feel she is similar to you in any way?AS: In many ways, Shalini is similar to me. I have roots in Kerala, as my mother is from Palakkad.