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By the halfway mark of 2023, the Malayalam film industry has encountered a considerable number of controversies, surpassing the usual quota. Despite having a good six months on the work front, producing highly acclaimed films in the country, controversies have persistently plagued the industry this year, steadily escalating and worsening over time.
While a few controversies arose from personal disputes, there were other rows that reverberated throughout the Malayalam film industry, leaving many in a state of shock. Here are some of the notable controversies that jolted the industry in the first six months of 2023:
One of the biggest controversies of recent times that had a far-reaching impact on the way the film industry functions and the equations between various personnel, the entire conversation surrounding drug use by some actors started when the Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA), Kerala Film Producers’ Association (KFPA) and Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) announced their decision to not cooperate with actors Shane Nigam and Sreenath Bhasi anymore.
The discussion began when FEFKA general secretary B Unnikrishnan, without revealing names, alleged that some actors were causing them a lot of trouble by fixing the same dates for multiple films and urging makers to show the portions being edited to those close to them. “Recently, an actor said he will not continue in a film if he is not shown the edits. Such things are unheard of,” Unnikrishnan told the media.
Days after this press meeting, various film organisations announced that they will not cooperate with Nigam and Bhasi anymore. “There have been many complaints against the two. We are not taking the names of these actors due to their drug abuse. Both Nigam and Bhasi have time and again troubled filmmakers, technicians and co-stars. There are a lot of people who use drugs on set and cause trouble,” KFPA’s M Renjith said. FEFKA and KFPA’s individual press conferences marked the beginning of a major controversy, with many film industry personnel weighing in and adding their versions.
One of the biggest revelations was made by actor and AMMA executive committee member Tiny Tom, who claimed that a colleague he recently worked with was a drug addict and suffered from tooth decay due to substance abuse. Tiny also said that he and his wife didn’t want their son to act in Malayalam cinema because of the “risks of substance abuse in the industry.”
Pointing out that the usage of drugs was rampant in the film industry, actor Baburaj stated that AMMA and the police have the complete list of drug users here. Additionally, he pointed out that one of their inquiries had directed the excise officers to the car of a prominent actor. “If the car had been intercepted and inspected at that time, the Malayalam film industry would cease to exist,” Baburaj noted.
Dismissing Baburaj’s claim that AMMA has the complete list of drug users in the industry, association general secretary Idavela Babu noted that it is, however, an open secret as to who all use drugs.
Meanwhile, in the wake of the disclosures, Kochi city police commissioner K Sethu Raman announced that shadow police presence would be there at all film shooting locations in Kochi. During its executive committee meeting on June 25, AMMA discussed the ban on the actors and decided not to grant membership to Bhasi for the time being. The association also stated that it would find a solution to the dispute between Nigam and producers.
Sreenivasan calls Mohanlal a hypocrite
The longstanding collaboration between Mohanlal and writer-actor Sreenivasan, both on-screen and off-screen, traces back to the 1980s. However, their relationship has been strained since their last joint appearance in the film Oru Naal Varum (2010).
In a recent interview, Sreenivasan was asked about Mohanlal kissing him during an award ceremony. Sreenivasan took a sly dig at Mohanlal, implying that he finally understood why Mohanlal was often referred to as the “complete actor.”
When questioned if their rift began with Sreenivasan’s penning and acting in the film Padmasree Bharat Dr Saroj Kumar, which subtly mocked Mohanlal, Sreenivasan revealed that their relationship was not particularly strong even before that. The writer-actor went one step further and stated that Mohanlal was a hypocrite.
While Priyadarshan said it was strange that Sreenivasan made these statements, the actor’s son Dhyan said that his father crossed a line by making such claims about Mohanlal. Sreenivasan later said that there was no enmity between him and Mohanlal and that they will work together again.
FEUOK’s protest against early OTT releases
The Film Exhibitors United Organisation of Kerala (FEUOK), representing theatre owners, triggered a major debate regarding the appropriate waiting period before releasing films online. In response to early OTT releases, they staged a protest by shutting down cinema halls for two consecutive days, June 7 and 8.
Though Malayalam cinema producers are granted permission to release their films on OTT platforms only after a 42-day interval from their initial theatrical release, FEUOK claimed that certain filmmakers were disregarding the terms and attempting to release their movies earlier.
The organisation pointed out that the main reason for the decrease in theatre attendance was the early release of movies on OTT platforms. Strongly criticising actors who own production houses, accusing them of endorsing and being driven by greed, FEUOK issued an ultimatum to the film associations concerned to address their demands. FEUOK also announced its decision to extend the restrictions by implementing a 90-day limit, during which films will not be permitted to have OTT releases.
In May, the organisation had announced that it was planning to refrain from screening films that were of substandard quality. In the event that a film producer, whose film has been declined approval by theatres, desires to exhibit their film in cinemas, they will be required to pay screening fees to the theatre owners, FEUOK stated.
Alleged inflow of black money: ED, I-T Dept initiate probe; actor-producer fined Rs 25 crore
Upon receiving intel about a significant influx of black money from abroad into the Malayalam film industry, the income tax department and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) increased vigil and commenced an inquiry. While central agencies kept a close watch on five Malayalam producers, one person, identified as an actor-producer, reportedly paid a fine of Rs 25 crore, according to a report by Malayala Manorama. Central agencies had received documents of that the said producer had received huge sums of money from abroad.
The agencies were inspecting whether there was an inflow of foreign investment to Kerala to back ‘propaganda’ films that injected ideas that had a negative impact on national security, Times of India reported. The central agencies have also received statements that more intoxicants reach the shooting locations during the production of films with foreign money investments.
In the meantime, online Malayalam ‘news’ portal Marunadan Malayali seized upon the news and levelled severe accusations against Prithviraj Sukumaran by publishing a report claiming that he was the actor-producer who paid the imposed fine.
Claiming that they prepared the report after speaking to investigating agencies, producers including the accused persons, and actors within the industry, the YouTube channel stated that the actor-cum-producer who evaded further action against him by paying the fine was Prithviraj.
In retaliation, Prithviraj announced his intent to pursue legal recourse against the website and its owners alleging that the portal levelled “defamatory” and “malicious” allegations against him.
Jude Anthany Joseph vs Antony Varghese
Another controversy that took the industry by storm was the one kickstarted by director Jude Anthany Joseph soon after the release of his film 2018: Everyone Is A Hero. Alleging that actor Antony Varghese alias Pepe backed out of a project Jude was supposed to bankroll, 18 days before the commencement of its shooting after taking Rs 10 lakh in advance payment, the director stated: “People like Shane Nigam and Srinath Bhasi have been accused of consuming ganja and being addicted to drugs. I, however, would say the biggest problem is not drugs, but the lack of humanity, and the audacity to show filth.” Jude also claimed that Pepe took money from one of the co-producers for conducting his sister’s wedding.
Pepe, however, refuted the allegations and stated that his mother has filed a case against the filmmaker for making baseless statements against his family. “It is true that I took an advance amount after hearing the story. I agreed to doing the film since it was to be headlined by Jude. I signed the agreement thinking that they won’t cheat. But when I read the script, I felt confused. When I brought it up, they refused to discuss it and shouted at me. That’s how I decided to opt out of the project,” Pepe said.
Subsequently, Jude Anthany stated publicly, during an interview with Radio Mango, that he was apologising to Pepe and his family members for hurting them. “I made claims about him taking money for his sister’s wedding without even knowing if it was true. At that moment, I only thought about the producer, but I now realise I should have shown more restraint. The anger that was not inside just came out unnecessarily. It was pretty cheap of me,” he said.
Meanwhile, Aravind KS, the producer who provided Pepe with the Rs 10 lakh advance payment for the film, stepped forward and released a video statement detailing the entire incident and asserting that the things that Jude mentioned were true.
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