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Film bodies claim Kerala State Award row a conspiracy to defame Mohanlal
After a petition was signed by individuals to protest against Mohanlal attending as chief guest of Kerala State Awards, minister AK Balan confirmed that the actor will be officially invited on Wednesday.
Despite many artistes’ opposition, the Kerala government has confirmed that actor Mohanlal will be the chief guest at the state film awards. With the Kerala government saying the formal invite will be issued on Wednesday, many film bodies have now claimed that the petition that demanded Mohanlal should not be invited to the event was a conspiracy. On Tuesday, Culture Minister A K Balan confirmed at a press meet, “The state government will invite actor Mohanlal as the chief guest for this year’s Kerala State Film Awards function.”
On Monday, news surfaced that 107 signatories have signed a petition against actor Mohanlal being invited as the chief guest. It was reported that Prakash Raj was among those who signed the petition. A few hours later, Prakash Raj said in a video message that he has not signed any such petition. Later, Balan confirmed to the media that he has not invited Mohanlal and the actor said he had not received an invitation.
The film bodies such as FEFKA, AMMA, Kerala Film Chamber of Commerce, the Producers’ association, the distributors’ association and the exhibitors’ federation wrote a counter letter to the chief minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, claiming the protest letter was a conspiracy to alienate Mohanlal.
The decision by the government has left the Malayalam industry divided. A section of the industry feels that Mohanlal should not have been invited given the part he played in rape accused, actor Dileep, being reinstated in AMMA. Director Biju, who was one of the first members to protest the government’s decision, said, “The statement which we had released regarding the State Awards distribution did not mention any names. Our stand is that other than the CM and the awardees, any other chief guest is inappropriate. It also reduces their achievement. We have not mentioned any actor in the statement. Our stand is the same whoever be the chief guest.”
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