Murali hits out at director of award-winning Malayalam film

IANS/Thiruvananthapuram

Each time the state film awards are announced in Kerala, a round of controversy follows. This time was no different with former chief minister K Karunakaran’s name being dragged into the controversy.

Less than 24 hours after the awards were announced, Karunakaran’s son K Muraleedharan lashed out at Kamal, director of Celluloid, which won several awards this time.

“Even if a 1,000 Kamals come along, the image of Karunakaran cannot be sullied. It’s unfortunate that for the sake of cheap publicity for his film, the director has dragged the name of Karunakaran right into his project. Karunakaran always wanted the Malayalam film industry to thrive,” Muraleedharan told reporters.

Celluloid, which won seven state awards this year, including for the best film and best actor, is a period film about the father of Malayalam cinema, J C Daniel, who produced, directed, wrote, photographed, edited and acted in the first cinema made in Kerala, Vigathakumaran (The Lost Child), in 1928.

Celluloid makes an indirect reference to Karunakaran, a three-time chief minister of the state who died aged 92 in December 2010. The film also refers to then senior IAS official Malayatoor Ramakrishnan. Both men are depicted as having treated Daniel with contempt in the mid-1970s.

“Kamal is certainly a very good filmmaker, but he should not have done what he did just for the sake of cheap publicity,” Muraleedharan said.

Speaking to the media, Kamal said: “Yes, it’s right that both Karunakaran (as culture minister of the state) and Ramakrishnan (who served as culture secretary) were unable to do justice to Daniel. That is well known.”

Cinema minister of the state and former actor K B Ganesh Kumar added his bit to the controversy: “In the film on Gandhi, Britishers are shown as villains. To have some drama, certain inputs are needed in a film. This matter has to be seen in that light.”

In 1992, the Kerala government honoured Daniel by instituting the J C Daniel Award as part of the Kerala State Film Awards to honour lifetime achievement in Malayalam cinema.