Today is Kalabhavan Mani's 8th death anniversary. Kalabhavan Mani is a star that Malayalis cannot forget. Director Vinayan asks questions to the government on his 8th death anniversary. Why Kalabhavan Mani's films were left out when 22 films were screened in the Keralayam program as a tribute to various actors etc. Vinayan asks why a memorial for Mani has not been built yet. The administrators of the film academy and the culture department cannot tolerate Vinayan's film being taken. That is why Mani's pictures were omitted. Vinayan says why did he take his grudge against Vinayan to Mani and feels sympathy when he remembers the mentality of cultural leaders and heads of departments.
His post reads like this. Starting with the movie Kalyanasaugandhikam, Mani acted in twelve of my films. Vasanthi and Lashmi and I, Karumadikuttan and the role of Mantri Gunasekaran in Rakshasaraja were much talked about and won many awards. The long journey of my film career with Mani and Mani's untimely death have all touched my personal life as well. It was the inspiration that made me make the film “Chalakudikaran Changathi” on Mani. I am very grateful that you have been able to make a film a part of history as an eternal tribute that no one else in Malayalam cinema has. 22 films were screened there as tributes to various actors.
But not a single film of Kalabhavan Mani was screened in Kerala. Mani was a person who was eager to say openly that he was also a communist. Moreover, I am of the opinion that it is humiliating for this leftist government not to show even a single film of that artist who grew up from the Dalit community. An official of the film academy told me the reason for that omission. The rulers of our academy and culture department cannot tolerate taking a film of Vinayan. I laughed and left.
When I thought about the mentality of our cultural heroes and heads of departments, I felt sympathy for them. Why did the grudge against Vinayan settle with Mani? I will not say more because the game played by the chairman of the film academy and the culture department to avoid my film 19th century from the state award has become a big debate in the country. Now eight years after the government has said that it will build a memorial for that unique artist who is the pride of Kerala, who had to grow up drinking a lot of water from the bottom of the society, poverty and pain. The year is over. I am surprised that even after allocating Rs 3 crore in the budget, it did not happen. We have to ask what are the priorities of our culture department. But there is one thing, sir. No matter what the cultural lords may be, there is no artist who has had such an impact on the minds of the common people of Kerala like Mani.. Is there a greater respect than that…?
