Noted Malayalam producers G Suresh Kumar, Antony Perumbavoor indulge in war of words: ‘I am not a fool…’

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This post was also shared by Prithviraj, whose upcoming directorial L2: Empuraan is backed by Antony Perumbavoor. The producer also took offence over the statements made by G Suresh Kumar questioning the veracity of Malayalam films being part of the Rs 100 crore club or Rs 200 crore club. Antony pointed out that such box-office achievements were par for the course in every other industry for quite a few years now.

With such voices coming out from the KFPA, it has lead to the speculations that there is a clear rift within the organisation, and it needs to be bridged immediately for the betterment of the film industry.

However, G Suresh Kumar was quick to dismiss Antony Perumbavoor’s claims, and reiterated that the call for a strike wasn’t an unilateral decision but the result of an extensive discussion within the organisation, and with other stakeholders of Malayalam cinema. Suresh, who didn’t take the criticisms of Antony lightly, minced no words in expressing his displeasure over the Empuraan producer’s statements. “I am not a fool. I have been in the industry for 46 years. When Antony started watching films, I was already producing them. I am not in this industry to play jokes. Antony does not attend any of the association’s meetings, so he is not aware of what is happening.”

Explaining his stance on the statement about Empuraan’s budget, which seems to have riled up Antony and team, Suresh said, “I spoke about Empuraan based on the information from those responsible. If he wants me to withdraw the statement, I will do it. Since Mohanlal is involved in the thick of things, I don’t want to create unnecessary problems.” Notably, Suresh is a long-time friend and collaborator of Mohanlal, and they go back a long way, even before the Indian superstar made his acting debut.

Incidentally, Antony had written in the post that he is taking to the public forum because Suresh did the same with the press conference where he discussed many things, including details about Empuraan’s budget. “I cannot understand how Suresh Kumar who does not know the cost of the film can speak so authoritatively about it. The film is still in the final stages of pre-production,” wrote Antony.

The tiff isn’t just limited to the producers association as the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) took offence to statements blaming actors’ remuneration for rising production costs. In a recent interview, actor-filmmaker Dhyan Sreenivasan expressed his displeasure over industry insiders discussing industry matters in a public domain. However, he did agree to the conversation surrounding actors’ salaries, and asked fellow actors to take cognisance of the present situation of the producers, and come to a suitable decision that caters to all the interests.

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Nevertheless, the controversy refuses to die down immediately as G Suresh Kumar confirmed the strike, and senior producer and vice-president Siyad Koker reprimanded Antony Perumbavoor for not airing his views in the joint committee instead of resorting to public mud-slinging. In an interaction with Manorama, he said, “Suresh Kumar spoke for the association, and shared all our grievances. You will understand our course of action in the coming days.”