The music director drew flak for 'insulting' the actor when he presented a memento. However, Asif Ali said he didn't feel insulted.
Published Jul 17, 2024 | 12:03 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 17, 2024 | 5:08 PM
Asif Ali presents a memento to Ramesh Narayanan at 'Manorathangal' trailer launch. (Facebook)
Malayalam music director Ramesh Narayan has announced that he is ready to apologise to actor Asif Ali for snubbing him at the Manorathangal trailer launch on 15 July. The composer also clarified that he did not intend to ‘insult’ the actor.
Ramesh Narayan’s statement came after he received severe backlash for snubbing Asif Ali while receiving a memento from him at the trailer launch of Manorathangal, an anthology penned by legendary writer MT Vasudeva Nair.
As the video of this incident went viral on social media, Ramesh Narayan was being criticised for being disrespectful to the actor.
The event organisers requested Asif Ali to present a memento to Ramesh Narayanan. However, the musician neither acknowledged it nor maintained eye contact with the actor.
The viral video shows Asif Ali walking towards Ramesh Narayan with the memento and presenting him with a smile. Nevertheless, the music composer snubs the actor and doesn’t even maintain eye contact. To everyone’s surprise, he calls director Jayaraj, who helmed one of the stories in the Manorathangal anthology, to present him with the memento. Asif Ali returns to his seat quietly and sports a smile.
The musician’s act didn’t go down well with film lovers and netizens, who minced no words and called him ‘egoistic’ and ‘unprofessional’. They also lauded Asif Ali for handling the embarrassing situation maturely.
Ramesh Narayan refuses to take award from #AsifAli. Very poor etiquette from him. Asif kept his happy demeanour despite the snub.#Manorathangal #Mindscapes #Mammootty #Mohanlal #FahadhFaasil pic.twitter.com/JwPSn1F56X
— Mohammed Ihsan (@ihsan21792) July 15, 2024
As Ramesh Narayan’s impolite behaviour towards Asif Ali at the Manorathangal trailer launch event received heavy backlash, the music director clarified that it was “a misunderstanding”. He told Mathrubhumi News that he tried apologising to Asif Ali but the actor didn’t pick up his call. The composer also reiterated that he didn’t mean to insult the actor.
Addressing the media separately, Ramesh Narayan said he would apologise to Asif Ali if he was hurt by his behaviour. He added that he only wanted Jayaraj (director) to be with him at that moment.
“If there is an impression that I removed Asif Ali’s hand from the memento on purpose, then I’m really sorry. That’s all I have to say. I never intended to insult or sadden anyone,” the music director said.
About the incident, Ramesh Narayan explained that he felt bad for not being invited onto the stage first. “I was expressing my displeasure to Aswathy (MT Vasudevan Nair’s daughter) when they asked me to take the memento. First, they announced my name wrongly as ‘Santhosh Narayanan’ which confused me and then I didn’t notice Asif Ali. But I did not mean to insult the actor.”
Interestingly, during the release of Ennu Ninte Moideen (2015), Ramesh Narayanan accused actor Prithviraj Sukumaran of insulting him by interfering in his compositions. While receiving the State Award for Best Music Director, the composer claimed that “three of his songs out of six were removed from the film on Prithviraj’s instructions”.
Meanwhile, in an Instagram post, the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) extended its solidarity with Asif Ali. The post read: “Your smile towards the arrogant behaviour that ignored you is the real music. AMMA is with Asif.”
View this post on Instagram
Meanwhile, Asif Ali responded to the controversy, saying he doesn’t have any issues with what happened at the event. The actor told the media that he spoke to Ramesh Narayan this morning and realised that he was upset (which was evident from his voice) with the whole controversy.
“He wanted to see me. But I don’t have any issues with him. There was confusion at the venue since his name was wrongly pronounced (as Santosh Narayanan). Any person would get upset with this. Moreover, he couldn’t walk to the stage because of his leg pain.”
Asif Ali further added, “I was asked to present the memento which I did. That’s it. It’s a closed chapter now. When I realised our video from the trailer launch event went viral, I did want to respond but didn’t know how to. I’m addressing this issue now since it was being debated on the grounds of religion. I didn’t feel insulted and I’m not upset with his behaviour. I want this to end now.”
The actor also thanked everyone who supported him.
The Malayalam web series Manorathangal is an anthology of nine stories, which will be streamed via the ZEE5 platform from 15 August. It’s helmed by eight directors and casts nine superstars from Malayalam.
An official trailer of the anthology series was launched in Kochi on 15 July, marking the 91st birthday of Jnanpith Award winner MT Vasudevan Nair.
The ensemble cast includes Mohanlal, Mammootty, Fahadh Faasil, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Harish Uthaman, Biju Menon, Shanthi Krishna, Joy Mathew, Madhoo, Asif Ali, Nadiya Moidu, Kailash, Indrans, Mamukkoya, Nedumudi Venu, Vineeth, Renji Panicker, Surabhi Lakshmi, Siddique, Ishit Yamini, Nazeer Samkranthi, Indrajith Sukumaran, Narain, and Aparna Balamurali.
(Edited by Y Krishna Jyothi)
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