Mammootty speaks out against ban on Sreenath Bhasi for verbally abusing anchor: 'Denying work is wrong'

After Sreenath Bhasi was arrested for allegedly misbehaving with a journalist during an interview, Kerala Film Producers’ Association had said it won't cooperate with the actor for the time being. Mammootty has spoken about the incident.

Popular Malayalam actor Mammootty has expressed his disagreement with the reported decision to impose a ban on actor Sreenath Bhasi. The Kerala Film Producers’ Association (KFPA) had announced that it won't cooperate with Sreenath Bhasi for the time being, after he was arrested for hurling abuses at a woman anchor during an interview. KEPA's announcement was perceived as a ban.

Mammootty does not approve of the ban on Sreenath Bhasi.

Mammootty, who has previously worked with Sreenath Bhasi in this year's box office hit Bheeshma Parvam, did not approve of the said ban on the actor. Mammootty also said that he has learned that the ban was already revoked.

As per a report in The Hindu, the veteran actor commented on the ban while attending a promotional event for his upcoming film Rorschach in Kochi. He said, "There should be no ban on anybody. Why should we deny someone’s daily bread? Denying somebody work is wrong." He also claimed that there is no ban on Sreenath anymore. He said, "It has been removed. That is what I have learnt."

However, KEPA released a statement to clarify that they never imposed a ban on Sreenath Bhasi in the first place. A senior representative told The Hindu that the organisation would not like to respond to the views of a senior actor like Mammootty, and also said, "We would like to clarify that the association has not imposed a ban on Mr. Bhasi as we do not have the powers to deny work to anyone." He also said that the decision to not work with him, for the time being, was taken after the actor was accused by some producers of non-cooperation, to which he admitted and agreed to complete the dubbing of four films.

The Kerala Police had arrested Sreenath Bhasi on September 26 for allegedly misbehaving with a female journalist during an interview for his movie Chattambi. The journalist alleged the actor used abusive words against her and other crew members, and a purported audio clip of the same also surfaced on social media. The actor was later released on station bail in the evening.