Mumbai, November 12, 2026: Kerala has long been a difficult market for Bollywood films to crack, even for some of Hindi cinema’s biggest blockbusters. But that ceiling has been rising steadily, and Namit Malhotra’s Ramayana has now pushed it to an entirely new level. The Nitesh Tiwari directorial has become the first Bollywood film to cross ₹20 crore gross in the state, surpassing the lifetime record of Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge in just six days.
According to Sacnilk’s state-wise box office tracking, Ramayana collected ₹20.90 crore gross in Kerala by the end of Tuesday, November 10. The previous record belonged to Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar 2, which finished its theatrical run with over ₹19 crore gross in the state. What took that blockbuster an entire theatrical run, Ramayana has achieved within its opening week, with plenty of fuel still left in the tank.
From PK to Ramayana, How Bollywood’s Kerala Box Office Benchmark Has Grown
The ₹20 crore milestone becomes even more interesting when viewed against the history of Hindi films in Kerala. Aamir Khan’s PK was the first Bollywood film to reach ₹5 crore gross in 2014, followed by Dangal, which raised the benchmark to ₹10 crore in 2016. Nearly a decade later, Dhurandhar 2 became the first to cross ₹15 crore before Ramayana took the record further.
Note: Kerala gross collections are approximate estimates based on available box office reports.
Dangal’s Kerala run was particularly impressive, although it benefited from unusual circumstances. Released during the Malayalam cinema strike in December 2016, the Aamir Khan starrer faced little competition from new local releases and reportedly earned over ₹2.50 crore from Kochi multiplexes alone within its first month. Its record remained unbeaten for nearly seven years before Pathaan and Jawan raised the bar in 2023. The pace of change has since picked up considerably, with Dhurandhar 2 and Ramayana setting new benchmarks in the same year. Ramayana is now the first Bollywood film to enter the ₹20 crore gross club in Kerala, and it remains to be seen how long this record will stand.
Ramayana Holds Strong in Kerala Despite Competition From Scene
What makes Ramayana’s Kerala run interesting is that it is happening alongside Suriya’s Scene, which has also found a strong audience in the state. Despite the competition, Ramayana has managed to hold its ground, particularly after the festive weekend. According to Sacnilk’s tracking, the film grossed ₹3.90 crore on Monday and ₹3.80 crore on Tuesday, a drop of barely 3%. Such a small decline after a holiday is an encouraging sign for its longer theatrical run.
Ramayana’s Kerala run may still have a long way to go. Having crossed ₹20 crore gross within its opening week, the film has a realistic opportunity to push its lifetime total considerably higher. If the current audience interest translates into strong holds over the coming weeks, even ₹40 crore cannot be ruled out, while a run towards ₹50–60 crore would require exceptional staying power.
Stay tuned …
