Namit Malhotra’s Ramayana has redrawn the box-office map for Hindi cinema in Kerala. By the end of Tuesday, November 10, the Nitesh Tiwari-directed film had grossed ₹20.90 crore in the state, according to Sacnilk’s tracking, making it the first Bollywood release to enter the ₹20-crore club in Kerala. It crossed the mark in six days, moving past a record that Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge needed an entire theatrical run to set.
A record reached in six days
Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar 2 ended its Kerala run with over ₹19 crore gross. Ramayana overtook that lifetime total during its first week, a sign of how rapidly Kerala’s ceiling has shifted. Sacnilk notes that the figures are approximate estimates based on available box-office reporting.
The early hold is as notable as the record itself. After the festive weekend, Ramayana grossed ₹3.90 crore on Monday and ₹3.80 crore on Tuesday—a drop of barely 3 percent. That kind of steadiness usually points to a longer theatrical shelf life rather than a front-loaded run.
How Kerala’s benchmark kept climbing
The ₹20-crore milestone is easier to read against the state’s history with Hindi films. Each era has thrown up one release that reset the upper limit:
- PK became the first Bollywood film to reach ₹5 crore gross in Kerala in 2014.
- Dangal doubled the benchmark to ₹10 crore in 2016.
- Pathaan and Jawan lifted the marker in 2023.
- Dhurandhar 2 crossed ₹15 crore and ultimately finished beyond ₹19 crore.
- Ramayana has taken the state past ₹20 crore inside six days.
Dangal’s run, for context, had an unusual tailwind: it arrived during the Malayalam cinema strike in December 2016, faced little competition from new local releases, and reportedly earned more than ₹2.50 crore from Kochi multiplexes alone within its first month. Its benchmark stood for nearly seven years before Pathaan and Jawan raised the bar in 2023. The pace of change has since quickened, with Dhurandhar 2 and Ramayana setting fresh marks in the same year.
Holding ground against local competition
The record has come despite genuine competition. Suriya’s Scene is also drawing a strong Kerala audience, yet Ramayana has held its position after the festive period. That matters because a Hindi film sustaining its run alongside a local title is a different test than one opening into an empty marketplace.
What the record signals
For an industry that has long treated Kerala as a difficult territory, the milestone reframes the opportunity. A first week above ₹20 crore gives Ramayana a realistic shot at pushing its lifetime number substantially higher. If current audience interest converts into steady weekly holds, a ₹40-crore finish is not out of reach; a run toward ₹50–60 crore would require exceptional staying power.
The caveat is the usual one with state-wise numbers: they are estimates, and the next few weeks will determine whether this is a one-film event or the next step in Kerala’s growing openness to Hindi releases.
Source: Sacnilk
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