B Unnikrishnan, the director of the Mohanlal flick Mr Fraud and also the General Secretary of the Film Employees Federation of Kerala, was banned by the Film Exhibitors Federation under the leadership of its president Liberty Basheer a few days ago, leading to much debate and furor in the industry.
The FEF claimed that this was in response to B Unnikrishnan’s intentional and motivated actions which led to members of FEFKA and AMMA not attending the inaugural function of the new FEF Headquarters in Kochi recently. This was perceived as unethical and insulting by the organization.
Director Vinayan, who could very well be considered old adversary of Unnikrishnan, also took the opportunity to openly challenge the director through the media to “make at least half a film now…” and criticized Unnikrishnan’s strength of character and resolve as an artist.
Now, FEFKA has come out in open support of its Gen. Secretary and has said they ban issue against Unnikrishnan was arbitrary and nothing more than the singling out of an individual based on personal grudges.
Sibi Malayil, veteran director and senior director of FEFKA, stated that they will continue to support Unnikrishnan in the future and also clarified that Unnikrishnan played no part in the alleged ‘boycott’ of the FEF function by FEFKA and AMMA members.
The pieces, it seems, are falling in to place for another inter organizational war which will affect the entire Malayalam movie industry and its fans, who are caught in the crossfire.
It is alarming the kind of power these organizations wield in the sphere of what is commonly referred to as the ‘art’ of film making. It only shows how the necessary yet uncompromising commercialization of a beloved art form can lead to a plethora of problems born of stubborn sentiment and inflated egos.
Let’s hope this doesn’t carry on for much longer and the winds change in the favor of the fans somehow…
