Despite opposition from many artistes, actor Mohanlal will be the chief guest of the Kerala State Film Awards. The Kerala government will formally invite the actor on Wednesday
“Yes, Mohanlal will be the chief guest of the State Film Awards,” Kerala Culture Minister A K Balan confirmed to TNM.
This decision by the minister comes two days after several artistes, journalists and activists signed a statement which said that people from the industry should not be made the chief guest of the State Film Awards, and that they should follow the national model for giving the awards.
The statement said that it was not acceptable for anyone other than the Chief Minister to give away the awards.
Following this statement, AK Balan had earlier said that he had not invited Mohanlal to be the Chief Guest, and the actor also denied receiving an invitation from the government. However, it seems that the government had reverted to its earlier decision, emboldened by the support Mohanlal has been receiving.
Mohanlal received support from several film bodies and associations, including the Kerala Film Chamber of Commerce, Film Employees Federation of Kerala, Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes, the Producers’ Association, the Distributors Association and the Exhibitors Federation.
These head of these associations, in a letter to the Chief Minister, claimed that the statement is a conspiracy to alienate and eliminate the actor who has been in the industry for over four decades.
It all began when award-winning director Dr Biju, in a Facebook post, said that he would not take part in the State Awards if an actor was made the chief guest. He also mentioned that the stances adopted by AMMA were disappointing. It was after this that the statement was prepared. The statement, however, did not mention Mohanlal explicitly.