Raju opens a can of worms

Theatre scheduling, satellite rights and the dominance of superstars have been controversial issues in Mala­ya­lam cinema for long. Actor and producer Maniyanpilla Raju has once again sparked the debate with fresh allegations against AMMA secretary Edavela Babu.

“Things have come to such a pass that only the films of three of our superstars can ever hope to get satellite rights. The theatre schedules are also influenced by the presence of stars. We have come to a position where even government theatres like Kairali don’t screen good films done by fresh faces. Edavela Babu has become infatuated with the power given to him and he is abusing the position he was giv­en,” said Maniyanpilla Raju at a press meet held in Kochi for Namboothiri Yuvavu@43.

Further, advancing the metaphor, he added, “Some people become blinded by power like the road worker given the job of painting the road markings. During the half an hour he is given control over the road, he abuses all the Benz drivers who pass by for interfering with his work and forces everybody to put their vehicles in reverse gear just to prove his dominance.”

Reacting to the statement, Edavela Babu says the allegations are baseless. “Anybody can verify for themselves the progress that has been made in the collections after I took charge. There has been an additional profit of around Rs 400 crores after my joining. This wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t done something different. If it is a good film, it will definitely find a spot in the theatres. However, if it’s a film that is not going to draw in audience and can make losses, it might be struck off,” he says.

Maniyanpilla Raju had also said that Babu did not include Namboothiri Yuvavu­@43 in the schedules of Kairali theatres as everyone other than him in the cast and crew of the movie were fresh faces. However, Babu doesn’t agree. “The movie has been confirmed for screening in the Kozhikode theatre and I don’t understand why Raju made such an allegation. All I can say is that I have no problems with fresh faces and all good movies are supported.”

Director Rajasenan supports Maniyan­pilla Raju and says that star value does dominate the Indian film scene. “For any movie to succeed, they need the support of channels. How­ever, satellite rights are given solely based on star value. At least if these people said, ‘Let’s watch the movie, get the public response and then decide,’ it would have been a positive appro­ach,” he said.

However, more often the first question is ‘Who is the lead?’ be it for satellite rights or producers. The theatre scene is equally disappointing. Even government theatres have started preferring superstar movies,” says Rajasenan.

Maniyanpilla Raju adds, “The satellite scene is relatively new. We are still learning about all its aspects and implications. This year we saw the release of around 150 Malayalam movies backed by satellite rights. However, I feel we would be lucky if we have at least 65 movies next year as the Malayalam film industry is in for a crisis. The only possibility of getting satellite rights for movies done by fresh faces and new directors today is if they go directly to Sriharikotta.”