The ban imposed by Kerala film bodies on actors Shane Nigam and Sreenath Bhasi triggered debates and discussions on several fora.
Published May 08, 2023 | 6:24 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 10, 2023 | 4:36 PM
Kerala film bodies imposed a ban on Malayalam actors Shane Nigam and Sreenath Bhasi. (Supplied)
The ongoing controversy over drug usage in film shooting locations has become a hot topic in the Malayalam industry now.
Though the issue has been discussed for a long time in Mollywood, the ban imposed by Kerala film bodies on actors Shane Nigam and Sreenath Bhasi triggered debates and discussions on several fora, including social media.
It all started with an issue involving Shane Nigam in 2019.
The actor was said to have left the sets of Veyil (Sunlight, 2022) reportedly over an issue with director Sarath Menon.
He even sported a haircut much different to his look in the film, due to which the shoot came to a standstill.
As details spread, the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) and the Kerala Film Producers’ Association (KFPA) sorted the matter out by mediating a discussion between the actor and Veyil producer Joby George. Shane Nigam became an AMMA member during this issue.
The actor alleged that Sarath Menon was abusing and pushing him to work, while Joby George threatened to kill him.
However, the KFPA banned him for his indiscipline and also for causing huge financial losses to the producers of Veyil and Qurbani (Sacrifice, yet-to-be-released) by not cooperating for the shoots.
Shane Nigam resumed the shoots in March 2020 after the ban was lifted when he reportedly agreed and paid compensation to the producers of the two movies.
Meanwhile, senior producers like Siyad Koker alleged that Shane Nigam was under the influence of drugs and hence was behaving “abnormally” on the sets. However, the issue died down after the Covid-19 pandemic struck the world.
In December last year, during the promotions of Chattambi (A Ruffian, 2022), actor Sreenath Bhasi misbehaved with the female anchor of a popular YouTube channel. The police arrested him after the anchor complained.
Around the same time, several Malayalam producers alleged that Sreenath Bhasi was arriving late for shoots and that he gave the same dates to multiple films, thereby causing them financial loss.
Following this, the Kerala film bodies imposed a temporary ban on Sreenath Bhasi. He got relief from them only recently.
Meanwhile, the fresh ban and the drug abuse issue are the byproducts of the problems that occurred on the sets of the upcoming film RDX, in which Shane Nigam, Antony Varghese, and Neeraj Madhav are playing key roles.
Shane Nigam wrote a letter, which was leaked to the media, to RDX producer Sophia Paul saying that he was upset at not getting as much prominence in the movie as discussed beforehand.
He also insisted that he be given importance during film promotions and also the teaser.
Meanwhile, Sophia Paul filed a complaint with the KFPA where she alleged that Shane Nigam and his mother were intruding in the production works by insisting that they be shown the edited version of the movie.
Following this, the Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA) held a press conference and threatened to disclose the names of actors who were not cooperating with the producers. The FEFKA also raised the issue of drug abuse in the industry.
Later, at a joint press meet, FEFKA, AMMA, and KFPA representatives imposed a ban on Shane Nigam and Sreenath Bhasi owing to the multiple complaints received against them for allegedly causing losses to the producers and their non-cooperation in shoots.
Producers like M Renjith and Siyad Koker told reporters that some young actors were under the influence of drugs.
Renjith even said that drugs were easily available in Kasargod and that was the reason new films were shot there.
This statement got a backlash: Filmmakers who shot in Kasargod protested against Renjith’s statement and he had to tender an apology.
Meanwhile, the producers also said that he knew actors who used drugs on film sets.
However, after all this mudslinging, the government said that if it got complaints, it would check the matter and take action.
Kochi Police Commissioner K Sethuraman on May 7, Sunday said that the police department would soon increase surveillance in film sets to nab users and check drug use.
“A meeting was convened to decide on the actions to be taken regarding drug abuse. Police presence will be there at all shooting locations from now on. Shadow police will be deployed. If information is received about the use or sale of drugs, raids will be carried out,” he told reporters.
“We know who in the industry uses drugs but we don’t know the sellers. No complaints have been received from the industry. We know those with a history of drug use and we are looking into it,” added Sethuraman.
The Kerala Film Chamber welcomed the police’s decision and extended support in identifying actors who use drugs.
G Suresh Kumar, chief of the Film Chamber, said young actors who behave were better off sitting at home and not acting in films.
Meanwhile, AMMA executive member Tini Tom said at a recent event that he worked with an actor who was a drug addict.
The mimicry artist-turned-actor also raised concerns that drug abuse was rampant in the Malayalam film industry.
To add fuel to the fire, he said that he and his wife had refused to allow their son to become an actor because they were worried about the use of drugs in the industry.
Reacting to this, actor-director-producer Dhyan Sreenivasan said that he felt drug abuse could happen even otherwise and not just on film sets.
The actor told reporters that if an individual decided to harm themselves with drugs, they would do so regardless and it was impossible to force someone to consume drugs.
“People who know about the harmful effects of drugs won’t use them,” he said.
AMMA general secretary Edavela Babu, while speaking on a YouTube channel, said AMMA had a list of actors using drugs.
“I don’t have the list; the producers have not given a written complaint yet and it has not been discussed with AMMA either,” Babu said. But he said that everyone in AMMA knew very well who used drugs in the industry.
Edavela Babu also made it clear that the bylaws of the organisation included the provision that drugs should not be used at the shooting location or workplace.
While giving new memberships, strict examinations would be held to know if the new actors use drugs.
Meanwhile, speaking on condition of anonymity, some people in the film industry said these were targeted attacks against Shane Nigam and Sreenath Bhasi to end their careers.
