A sea of trouble in Mollywood

Kochi: The KFPA (Kerala Film Producer’s Association), has decided to put Arun Kumar Aravind under the scanner based on a complaint filed by B. Rakesh, producer of his latest film One By Two. Reports claim that the decision has been taken by the KFPA after they got complaints from several producers who have worked with Arun Kumar Aravind.

B. Rakesh says that the director did not complete the film as per the agreed schedule and it incurred significant losses in terms of production cost. “We had decided to release One By Two during Vishu. This was a collective decision.”

The movie which is a psychological thriller starring Murali Gopy, Fahadh Faasil and Honey Rose was not released on Vishu. The release was postponed to April 19. “Vishu was the best time to release the movie, since it was holiday season the turnover would have been good. However Arun didn’t finish work as per schedule. When asked why, he claimed that the movie needed more perfection,” says Rakesh, who is also the member of the executive committee.
The movie is getting a mixed response, and it didn’t set the cash registers ringing. He says, “Had the movie released in the holiday season, it would never have got such a bad response. Including my film, Arun Kumar Aravind has directed four movies. Out of which, three producers have filed complaints against him. This made me realise the seriousness of the situation.”

The producer claims that the director always overshot the budget. Rakesh says, “There are times when the cost of certain movies can go high. But One By Two could have been done in a controlled budget. The high costs for this movie were incurred only because of the unnecessary use of equipment and as a result increasing the time needed to complete the shoot. Adding to that, the location used for the film was also not as per plan. In fact, many viewers suggested that the location could have been localised.”

When asked about whether he talked about the big differences of opinion between him and the director, he says, “I wanted the movie to come out well, but the opposite happened. Hence, these complaints are just to make other producers in the industry aware about the situation.”
Several of Arun’s movies have grabbed headlines either for censor board issues or for controversial subjects. However the director seems to take it all in his stride.

When contacted Arun Kumar Aravind said, “As of now, I am not willing to respond to this issue. I haven’t got any complaints yet, so this is not the right time to respond.”