The Nadigar Sangam row has evoked strong reactions from veterans and observers alike.A number of them have panned the decision to raze the Sangam’s theatre on Habibullah Road to lease the property out to a cinema theatre company. Reasons for this outrage ranged from emotional ties to the old building to opinions of financial mismanagement.
Veterans also hit out at Radha Ravi and Sarath Kumar for arriving at the decision to lease out the property on their own. “Whatever the decision, it should be put before the general body and the working committee.
It is a common property of the Nadigar Sangam, built with donations from the members. It cannot be handled like a private property,” says veteran actor SS Rajendran, who has been around the Nadigar Sangam since it was established in 1952 and served as its president for many years.
“We struggled to build that theatre.
I used to bunk my shoots to run around getting funds for it and ensuring the work got done. It was meant to be an outlet for plays, and the proceeds were to be used for the welfare of poor actors. What is happening there right now is not in line with the goals with which the Nadigar Sangam was set up,” Rajendran adds.
Younger veterans were more measured in their criticism. “That one acre land is the biggest property of the Sangam. It has just been handed over, and the decision to do so was made without consulting the nine trustees who should have been asked,” says actor S Ve Shekher.
“I had suggested that we could develop the property ourselves with money collected from members and run like a cooperative. The idea involved a commercial complex with office space, shops and a theatre. It is shocking that the property was handed over,” adds Shekher.
But this controversy is just the latest episode in a history of financial mismanagement, according to film historian and journalist ‘Film News’ Anandan, who has been a lifetime member of the Nadigar Sangam since the 1950s.
“There have been financial irregularities there for a long time. Accounts have not been maintained. There is no accountability for two decades now,” he says, adding, “Some good things have happened because of Radha Ravi, but I am not so sure about this decision.”