KOCHI: The Malayalam film industry has been hit by another big scandal, with the film producers alleging that most new-gen actors are causing trouble on the sets under the influence of drugs. They demanded a thorough police probe into the activities of such actors, including inspection in caravans.
The producers also decided not to sign young actor Shane Nigam for new movies for not cooperating with them and said three under-production movies involving him would be scrapped. “It’s becoming evident that some new-gen actors are using narcotic drugs. I’m not implying all actors use them. The police must look into the issue,” Kerala Film Producers’ Association (KFPA) president Rejaputhra Renjith said. He was addressing a press conference, convened to speak about the ongoing tussle between actor Shane and producers of the movie Veyil.
“The actors’ negative approach towards work and their drug habits have adversely affected the Malayalam film industry. Of the 150 movies released annually, 135 fail at the box office. We’ve never encountered such erratic behaviour, until this crop of new-gen actors emerged,” added Renjith.
Veteran producer and Kerala Film Distributors Association president Siyad Koker said it is suspected that synthetic drugs like LSD are being rampantly used by these young actors.
The producers also decided to scrap under-production movies Veyil and Qurbani, which involve Shane Nigam after he changed his appearance ignoring the characters he has been playing in them.