Office bearers of the Kerala Film Producers’ Association have said that they will not be responsible for the problems created by actors Shane Nigam and Sreenath Bhasi in the films they work with. At a press conference on Tuesday, April 25, producer and head of the association Renjith M said that they have taken a call not to include these two actors in their films, who allegedly created issues by their indulgence in drugs. The producers association has informed other film associations – such as the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (A.M.M.A.) and Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA) – about their decision.
However, this is not a ban and any producers and filmmakers who are willing to cast the two actors may do so “at their own risk”, Renjith added. Alleging that these actors are drug addicts, Renjith said that they would create issues by arriving late on the sets or signing on multiple films on the same dates and causing huge loss to the producers. They also had no respect for directors, producers or senior actors, he said.
“We don’t have any personal feelings against these actors but we cannot be responsible for what they do when they are high [on drugs]. We have got several complaints for their actions. So we have decided together to not include them in our films. There are others too who use substance and work in films. But we are taking this action based on the complaints we have received,” Renjith said.
He also mentioned the issue of some actors refusing to sign agreements with the associations, which was raised last week by FEFKA general secretary and filmmaker B Unnikrishnan. The agreement has clauses against actors using substance at the workplace. Renjith said that the producers association will not issue an NOC (No Objection Certificate) to actors who will not sign the agreement. “Sreenath Bhasi says we are using the agreement to trap him. But he doesn’t even know how many films he is acting in. Shane Nigam on the other hand would refuse to work in a film halfway through it, saying that his character should get more importance and he wants to see the editing process,” Renjith said.
Last week, Unnikrishnan had spoken about certain actors demanding to see the editing process and interfering in the creative work of the film, but he did not mention names. “This is a decision taken by the producers association and we have all been informed about it. They told us that they will not be clearing projects of these two actors and to inform all our members about it. We respect their decision and will stand by it,” Unnikrishnan told TNM.