Actor Mohanlal speaks during a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala on August 31, 2024.
| Photo Credit: Nirmal Harindran
Claiming that the arrows of criticism after the publication of the Hema Committee report are being directed solely at the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA), actor and former AMMA president Mohanlal on Saturday (August 31, 2024) said “the entire industry is answerable” for the issues highlighted in the report.
In his first interaction with the media after the release of the report on August 19 and the abrupt dissolution of the AMMA executive committee earlier this week, Mr. Mohanlal said he “never ran away” from reacting to the issues, but was held up due to personal commitments.
“People have been asking where Mohanlal disappeared when such an issue happened. I haven’t run away from anything. I had personal commitments in various cities and later had to be with my wife who underwent a surgery. The final mix of my debut directorial Barroz was also ongoing. The release has now been postponed due to these issues. I don’t know how to speak authoritatively. So, I don’t do press conferences usually,” he said.
Mr. Mohanlal, who made much of the comments on the issue in his opening remarks, was evasive to the questions posed by mediapersons. The session ended abruptly after the actor took a couple of questions, to which no direct answers were provided.
Welcomes Hema panel report
“Issues that are happening in the other sectors are part of cinema too. I welcome the Hema committee report. I had presented myself before the committee and answered all their questions. The entire industry should answer for the report. It is not right to crucify AMMA or an individual for each and every matter. We decided to dissolve the committee after consultations with lawyers and seniors as most of the criticism was being unnecessarily directed at AMMA,” said Mr. Mohanlal.
He said the Malayalam film industry, which was built up through hard work and which had gained fame in the international arena, was now facing the prospect of destruction due to the relentless attacks which it has been facing over the past week.
“Thousands of people depend on this industry for survival. Now, this industry is facing destruction. I request you to not focus on us too much and destroy this industry. Those who are found to have done wrong should be punished. Actors are sentimental beings, who can get excited or even shattered by small issues. What has happened is deeply painful,” he said.
‘Not aware of any power group’
Mr. Mohanlal said he is “not aware of” the existence of any power group in the Malayalam film industry.
On being asked whether the names of the perpetrators redacted from the Hema Committee report should be made public, he said it should come out, but it is for the government to decide. He said the report speaks about a lot of possibilities to improve the industry. “Let this be a big movement which starts from Kerala. I hope it happens in every other field,” he said.
To most of the questions, the actor’s oft-repeated reply was “what can I say about this?”
“If you ask me more questions, I won’t be able to answer because these are things beyond my control,” he said.
