Mammootty’s bulbul photo fetches Rs 3 lakh in Kochi auction

Kochi: A photograph of an Indian bulbul, clicked by Malayalam actor Mammootty, was auctioned for Rs 3 lakh here on Sunday. The photograph was bought by Achu Ullattil, who heads the Leena Group of businesses. Ullattil, a native of Kottakkal in Malappuram, was represented by art critic M Ramachandran at the auction. The photograph will be placed at the group's upcoming five star hotel in Kozhikode.

The auction was held on the final day of a three-day photo exhibition at the Durbar Hall Art Gallery here. The event titled 'Padiparakkunna Malayalam' was held as part of the birth centenary celebrations of the late Indian ornithologist and writer K K Neelakantan, better known as Induchoodan.

The amount fetched through the auction will be used for the activities of the Induchoodan Foundation. "The amount will be used for creating awareness among schoolchildren about Induchoodan and birds of Kerala," actor-writer V K Sreeraman, one of the organisers of the event, told media after the auction.

Mammootty's click of the local bulbul was among the 61 pictures exhibited by 23 photographers at the event. The photo features a brown and red coloured bulbul perched upon some leaves against the background of a blue sky. The actor captioned the photo: A heart bubbling with joy and a restless tongue. The expo was curated by writer and naturalist Suresh Elamon, writer Sreedevi Madhavan and M Ramachandran. Writer and critic M K Sanoo delivered the Induchoodan commemoration lecture on Sunday.