The Hindu : Kerala / Kochi News : Reel fight turns real

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Tuesday, Jul 29, 2008
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Kerala

Kerala - Kochi

Reel fight turns real

Staff Reporter

Kochi: The police were surprised to receive a complaint from the Mammootty fans’ association last week saying that an 18-member group was found howling and whistling throughout the screening of the actor’s latest film, “Parunthu”.

In their petition, representatives of the association said that this group had created trouble inside the cinema hall for all four screenings at the theatre for three consecutive days.

The group was also singing and dancing, making it impossible for others to watch the movie comfortably.

The police promised action and it appeared the petition filed by the fans had clicked. Two days after the complaint was lodged, the noisy scenes faded. And the group involved in the action also vanished.

The makers of the film heaved a sigh of relief but the incident pointed towards the declining standards being adopted by certain vested interests to promote the films of lead actors like Mammootty and Mohanlal.

The issues revolving Mohanlal’s “Madambi” and Mammootty’s “Parunthu” have also exposed the lack of confidence among filmmakers to ensure the success of a film by its merit.

Even though they do not want to go public with their allegations, the makers of “Parunthu” vouch that a dialogue rendered by the character played by Mohanlal in “Madambi” (saying that he will axe the wings of the parunthu) was included in the script purposefully.

Explaining that the makers of “Madambi” were targeting the prospects of Mammootty’s “Parunthu”, they said that some filmmakers also want to satisfy the fans of lead actors by coming up with such dialogues.

Reacting to the dialogue included in “Madambi”, T.A. Razak, scriptwriter of “Parunthu”, said that he would not stoop to such levels to promote a film.

“I am also not ready to add a new scene in my film, ‘Parunthu’, where the lead actor would speak something against Madambi. That is not my tradition,” he said.

Those backing the two films seem to be putting all the blame on the fans’ associations for such unhealthy trends in the industry.

But industry insiders said that every move employed in promoting a film of a lead actor is planned meticulously. These associations also enjoy the full support of the actors, they said.

It would be foolish to say that the lead actors and their directors had no particular intention in including a dialogue like the one included in “Madambi” a leading producer said on condition of anonymity.

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