KOZHIKODE: As controversies related to many actors and professionals from the film industry giving a miss to veteran actor Mamukkoya’s funeral rites held in Kozhikode refuse to die down, his son Nisar has requested all concerned to put an end to the issue.
The controversies began with the statement of director V M Vinu in Kozhikode that the Malayalam film industry for which actor Mamukkoya had made great contributions, did not give him due respect. The director came out in the open against this and strongly criticised the filmmakers. “We indeed expected mainstream actors and film fraternity to pay tribute to the legend, but none turned up. If Mamukkoya had died in Ernakulam, more people would have come from the industry to get a last glimpse of the actor. This is indeed pathetic,” he said.
Reacting to the controversies, Mamukkoya’s elder son Nisar said, “There are no complaints about film stars not attending the funeral ceremony.” “Mammootty and Mohanlal, who were abroad, had called us and tried to know the situation here. Dileep and other actors who are outside of the state had consoled us over the phone,” he added.
“Even our father would not have cancelled the shoots and gone for such events, because he always gave priority to the work he had taken up, and was keen on finishing it on time. Our father was very close to actor Innocent. When Innocent died, my father was on a shooting assignment in Dubai and later when he returned, he visited Innocent’s family. Hence we have no harsh feelings against anyone from the industry, as they have always supported our family. We had received great love from their side when my father was going through a tough time after being diagnosed with cancer a few years ago,” Nissar said.
The late actor’s sons made it clear that Mamukkoya had no enemies and that he never told a single lie. The children said that it was not because of enmity that no one came and that they could understand the difficulties of those who could not come. Mamukoya’s sons Mohammad Nisar and Abdul Rasheed said that unnecessary discussions in this regard should be stopped.