Malayalam filmmaker-actor Sandra Thomas was expelled from the Kerala Film Producers Council (KFPA) in November 2024 after questioning film organisations' silence after the Hema Committee report was released. After an Ernakulam Sub Court stayed the order to expel her in December, she filed for nominations ahead of the KFPA elections, but they were rejected. Sandra approached the court again to fight for her rights, but in an interview with OneIndia, claimed that Mammootty asked her to withdraw her case against KFPA.
Sandra Thomas claims Mammootty asked her to withdraw case against KFPA
Sandra was asked if she received support from the film industry, particularly Mammootty and Mohanlal, after she filed the case against KFPA. She alleged, “I don’t know if I should say this, but I am still saying it. Mammuka called and asked me not to go ahead with the case. He spoke for about 3-4 hours.”
She said she asked him if he would suggest the same to his daughter, “I asked him one question, Mammuka, should this situation come to your daughter, would you ask her not to go ahead with the case? This will affect my future; I can’t do movies anymore, and they will not allow my films to be released in theatres. So what kind of stand are you taking? He said, it’s as per your wish then, I won’t say anything more.”
Sandra also claimed that Mammootty also withdrew from a film he had signed with her. As for Mohanlal, the producer-actor stated that while he has not spoken to her directly, ‘people close to him have been completely supportive.’
Internet calls out Mammootty, praises Mohanlal
{{/usCountry}}Sandra also claimed that Mammootty also withdrew from a film he had signed with her. As for Mohanlal, the producer-actor stated that while he has not spoken to her directly, ‘people close to him have been completely supportive.’
Internet calls out Mammootty, praises Mohanlal
{{/usCountry}}After clips from Sandra’s interview began doing the rounds on social media, people were quick to call out Mammootty. One X (formerly Twitter) user wrote, “Strictly avoidable action from Mammootty. Had this been done by #Mohanlal, it would have been Prime Time debate for the evening. But na, #Mammootty gets the benefit of mercy from The Woke tribe of Kerala.”
Another said that Mammootty is ‘just like his contemporaries’ from the 70s, “The biggest fallacy is ‘Mammootty is very updated.’ But #Mammootty is just another 70s ammavan in Mollywood, like all of his contemporaries.” One person commented, “This is awful...why are the men so spineless in this industry.” An X user wrote unflinchingly, “Senior Most Superstar of a Language trying to stop a woman from seeking legal recourse through influence is outright Cheap!”
One Mohanlal fan thought the way this situation was handled by both him and Mammootty ‘speaks volumes’, writing, “The way #Mammootty and #Mohanlal handled the #SandraThomas issue speaks volumes. Months ago when one M had the L to face the bloodthirsty media alone during the Hema row, while the other, the so-called patriarch, chose the comfort of a social media post.”
Sandra Thomas’ case on KFPA
Sandra wore a burqah as a protest against sexual offenders in KFPA while filing her nominations for the President and Treasurer posts. Her nominations were rejected, with officials claiming that she failed to submit three censor certificates in her individual capacity. They claimed she only submitted two under her solo banner, Sandra Thomas Productions, and one from her previous production house, Friday Film House. The filmmaker-actor filed a case against KFPA in Ernakulam Sub Court, arguing that she has more than enough valid credits to be able to contest.
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