The social media battles over Dileep’s Ramaleela refuse to abate even after the release of the movie. Days after director Lal Jose claimed that the positive reception of the movie was the embattled actor’s success in the people’s court, producer-director Aashiq Abu took to Facebook to counter the senior director.
Lal Jose’s comments were as immature as the calls for demolishing the movie halls that screened Ramaleela, Aashiq Abu said. “This was a mindless excitement. Lalu chettan should not have done this,” he said.
“There is a group of people who think the movie gained from Dileep’s success. They are ignoring the facts. Such celebrations diminish the importance of the case (of the attack on an actress, in which Dileep is an accused). Such comments are a stand against the victim,” he wrote.
The mob is showing the same tendencies as the sexual offenders. The case is losing its seriousness and just going forward like a movie script, said Aashiq Abu, expressing hopes that such factors may not affect the judicial process.
“Malayalam cinema is going through a positive phase. Please do not drag it into that criminal case,” he said.
Predictably, Aashiq Abu has come under fire from social media users, who allege that the director is jealous of the success of Ramaleela. He had earlier joined a group of people from the industry who denounced calls to boycott the latest movie from the tainted actor.
Lal Jose had made the controversial comment on Facebook a day after the movie’s release. He also said that the movie was collecting at the box office surpassing all expectations.