Kerala doctor criticises Mohanlal's Hridayapoorvam for medical inaccuracy ahead of its OTT release: Credibility is lost

Dr Haris Chirackal, a famous whistleblower from Kerala, took to his Facebook to criticise Mohanlal's latest release for making light of organ transplantation.

Dr Haris Chirackal, Head of the Urology Department at the Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, made news this year in July for being a whistleblower. In a Facebook post that caused controversy, the doctor had exposed systemic issues, which led to a show-cause notice against him and later clearance from a panel. The doctor took to social media after watching Mohanlal’s most recent film Hridayapoorvam to criticise the medical inaccuracies in it.

Malavika Mohanan, Sangeeth Prathap and Mohanlal play lead roles in Hridayapoorvam.

Kerala doctor criticises medical inaccuracies in Hridayapoorvam

Dr Haris began his note by criticising Malayalam cinema for using serious topics like organ transplants as tropes without having much knowledge of them. “The picture does not show the care that the person who had the organ transplant should take. Everything is just a joke,” he criticised, adding that everyone from the ‘recipients, their relatives and the general community’ seems to take it lightly.

Explaining that post-transplant care is a must, given that there are chances the body will reject the organ, he added, “Comedy has no place here.” He went on to write a long note about how such patients are at risk of infection from other people and, particularly, animals. He wrote of how ‘accidents, fights’ should be avoided. The doctor also pointed out how the heart is just an organ that pumps blood, mentioning it has no ‘feelings’ as claimed in the film.

“The scientific awareness of the people and the credibility of cinema is lost by making even science twisted, broken and distorted,” wrote Dr Haris at the end of the note, adding, “I am not saying bad things about the movie. Please don't take it like that. One of my favourite directors, Sathyan Anthikkad, my favourite actor, Mohanlal, and many youngsters who have acted very well. The movie is good. I pointed out only one disagreement in its content. That's all.”

Hridayapoorvam to get OTT release soon

Hridayapoorvam is a romantic comedy drama directed by Sathyan Anthikad. It stars Mohanlal, Malavika Mohanan, Sangita Madhavan Nair, and Sangeeth Prathap, along with Siddique, Lalu Alex, Janardhanan, Sabitha Anand, Baburaj, and Nishan.

The film was released in theatres on 28 August and clashed with Dominic Arun’s superhero film Lokah: Chapter 1—Chandra, which starred Kalyani Priyadarshan and Naslen in lead roles. According to Sacnilk, Hridayapoorvam made ₹72 crore at the box office worldwide. JioHotstar announced on Friday that it will stream on the OTT platform from 26 September.