KOCHI: When it seems the controversies surrounding actor Shane Nigam and the producers are all set to end, a new twist developed in the tale on Monday. The office-bearers of Kerala Film Producers Association (KFPA) demanded a compensation of Rs 1 crore from the actor for violating the contract with the producers of two movies, Veyil and Qurbani.
In a meeting held here with the office-bearers of Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), the KFPA office-bearers said the producers of the above-mentioned movies have suffered huge losses due to the actor’s non-cooperation.
“Shane has completed the dubbing of Ullasam, which was delayed because of his reluctance to agree to work on the remuneration agreed as per the agreement. Now, there are two movies — Veyil and Qurbani — which are yet to be completed because of Shane’s non-cooperation. The producers of these movies have suffered a financial burden because of the inordinate delay in the completion of the shoot. That is why we have asked for the compensation,” clarified KFPA president Rejaputhra Renjith. The AMMA office-bearers said they cannot accept the suggestion put forth by the producers. “They asked us to make sure that the dubbing of Ullasam is completed. As per our instructions, Shane has completed the dubbing. However, in today’s meeting. they have asked for a compensation of `1 crore. They didn’t even give a clue on this compensation in any of our previous communication,” said AMMA secretary Idavela Babu.
He clarified that AMMA cannot decide on this issue without discussing it at its executive committee meeting. Actors Baburaj and Tini Tom also represented AMMA at Monday’s meeting.
The producers association said they will not withdraw the compensation demand. The whole issue broke out in November last year when Shane posted a video on social media alleging that Joby George, producer of Veyil, had issued a threat against him for changing his getup before completing the shooting of Veyil. Later, Shane changed his appearance by cutting his hair short in protest, which affected the shoot of Veyil and Qurbani.