KOCHI: The Malayalam film industry has been rocked by a scandal after film producers on Thursday alleged that some new-gen actors are under the influence of drugs and demanded a thorough police investigation into their activities, including an inspection of their caravans.
The producers have also decided to scrap the ongoing movies with 'Kumbalangi Nights' actor Shane Nigam -- 'Veyil and 'Qurbani' -- after he shaved his face and cut his hair in mushroom style, which was completely against the look of his character in the two movies. The third movie 'Ullasam', where only the dubbing remains, has also been shelved for the time being.
Shane will be considered for future roles only after he pays back the loss of Rs 6-7 crore the producers have incurred in the two movies.
"The way some new-age actors behave, we suspect they are under the influence of drugs. We demand that the police conduct a thorough probe into the use of drugs in the Malayalam film industry. We do not know what they take once they are inside their caravans," said M Renjith, president of the Kerala Film Producers Association (KFPA).
The tussle between the young actor and the producers of the two movies was on the boil but had been patched up after the intervention of the KFPA.
As per the deal, Shane was supposed to complete the shooting for ‘Veyil’ in which he appears with long hair and beard, before undertaking another assignment. However, after rejoining the sets of ‘Veyil’ on November 15, the actor once again landed in a controversy after the director complained that he was not cooperating with them wholeheartedly.
"This is an industry where out of 150 movies, 135 are ending up in losses. We have never encountered such indiscipline ever, and this is mostly from youngsters. They don't come on time and behave in the most erratic manner. Stars like Mammotty and Mohanlal will never behave like this but the new actors, after 4-5 movies, behave in the most improper way. Most producers are faced with a situation where they have to sell their properties and homes to survive due to the losses," Renjith said.
"When we approach AMMA (Association of Malayalam Movie Artists) with complaints, they tell us that these actors are not their members. That's also an issue," he added.
A row had broken out last month when Shane posted a video on social media alleging that Joby George, the producer of ‘Veyil,’ had issued a threat against him for changing his get-up before completing the shooting of the movie. Following the controversy, the KFPA intervened in the matter and arrived at a settlement according to which Shane was to complete the remaining work of the movie in a single schedule of 16 days starting mid-November.