KOCHI: The recent attack on the popular Malayalam film actor has brought to light the growing nexus between criminals and the entertainment industry in Kerala. Film directors such as Dr. Biju and Kamal and actor-turned politician K.B. Ganesh Kumar have decried this dangerous link. Mr. Kumar has drawn a parallel between the happenings in Bollywood during the heyday of the 'D' Company and the current situation in the Kochi-centric film industry in Kerala. The crime syndicates' fascination for the world of glamour has been unveiled in many films, including 'Godfather,' the magnum opus of Mario Puzo. The sordid details of the criminality lurking behind the Malayalam film world will shock even those familiar with the emptiness inherent in the celebrity culture.
Dr Biju, a national award winning film director, pointed out three factors for the increasing trend of criminals having A sway in the industry. They are the flow of black money, fan clubs and the culture of superstars. "The three are closely connected. The illegal flow of black money plays a major role in sustaining the culture of superstars and fan clubs," he said. " The tragedy is that we don't have a system to monitor the flow of money and activities of fan clubs," he added. The government should bring in some regulations regarding the money spent on production of a film, he said.
"If the government introduces such regulations, the industry can be cleaned to a certain extent. The Malayalam film world is quite tiny compared to Hindi or Tamil in terms of budget and its reach. Still, the so-called superstars charge millions of rupees as remuneration. Most of them declare a maximum income of Rs 40 or 50 lakh and this is the system that allows black money to thrive in the industry," he added. A person familiar with the financing of Malayalam films says the contours of the film funding have undergone a major change. The funding earlier revolved round the producer, the distributor and the theatre owner with a sprinkling of a few established private money-lenders.
"This was the situation till the turn of the century. But, with the entry of satellite channels, the game has changed and the advent of social media platforms has further opened up new ways of funding," he added. Another major change is the stage shows, especially abroad. "The stage is often used as cover for various nefarious activities, including smuggling and money laundering," he said. A new breed of human resources personnel has emerged in the industry for facilitating such activities. "It is a network having many layers and some of those persons with lily white reputations and larger than life image in the society are closely associated with such networks," he said.
The real happenings in the Malayalam cinema have a striking resemblance to imbecile films churned out by the industry, said an upcoming film director. "After taking a close look at the industry, I have realised how film makers manage to make such bizarre and imbecile films. Most of them are autobiographical," he said laughingly. When a person like Ganesh Kumar laments about even Mammotty and Mohanlal acting in films made by criminal elements, the less said, the better, he added. Although many in the film industry and society at large have expressed outrage over the ordeal of the actor, most people feel that the concern over the criminals having access to film and entertainment industry will be over soon. The incident will be forgotten soon and it will be business as usual. "The attack against the actor points to a major aberration in the industry. I don't want to speculate on the persons behind the incident. But I can say that it is an inside job," Dr. Biju said.
Unbridled online menace: Murali Gopy
Of the four estates of our democracy, the one that is in urgent need of a thorough ethical overhaul... is the fourth one. There is an industry now, thriving solely on selling fake news, online. It is silently killing lives, disturbing social equilibrium and destroying reputations in ways unimaginable. There is absolutely no solid law or authority in place to prevent either the proliferation of these sites or to bring them to book, for the terrible canards that they are spreading in the name of journalism. Almost all virtual platforms such as FB, twitter and Youtube, are being demonically invaded and prevailed upon, to promote and propagate this toxic garbage. These are times, when even the most pragmatic of people would wish for a vigilante!
Industry in the grip of goons: K B Ganesh Kumar
The film industry is in the grip of drug mafia and goons, according to actor and MLA K.B. Ganesh Kumar. "Some people from the industry make use of goons to tighten their grip. They also have connections with the real estate and drug mafia. Several women had undergone similar experiences and were blackmailed earlier also. They should also be brought to light," the former cinema minister said referring to the attack on the actor in Kochi the other day.
"I visited the victim and also spoke to the police officers in charge of the investigation. The actor had to endure worst experiences than what has been revealed so far. No woman should face such situation anymore. Several unwholesome incidents are taking place in the film industry. All these will be brought to the notice of the chief minister," he said. The industry has changed a lot and the good environment that prevailed earlier has been lost with the intrusion of anti-social elements, he added. "The film industry in Kochi has the character of an underworld which prevailed in Mumbai earlier. This is evident in films produced in Kochi. Even some films acted by Mammootty and Mohanlal were produced by undesirable people," Mr. Kumar said.
