Veteran actress Mallika Sukumaran, mother of actors Indrajith and Prithviraj, has said a powerful group in the Malayalm movie industry tried to jeopardize the acting career of her sons like they did to her husband Sukumaran.
She was addressing a gathering as part of the pooja ceremony of director Vinayan’s new movie Chalakudykkaran Changathy. Mallika opened up about the difficult times that her sons had to face in the industry during the start of their stint in the industry and how director Vinayan played a major role in shaping up their careers. With Chalakudykkaran Changathy, Vinayan is donning the director’s hat after a long sabbatical owing to a ban imposed by the actors’ association forbidding its members to act in his movies.
Mallika Sukumaran said, “There are, in fact, two reasons for me to be here for this pooja ceremony. It was Vinayan sir who hand-held my sons twice. Vinayan sir introduced my elder son Indrajith to films and made him an actor. There was a time when the same people who had jeopardized my husband Sukumaran’s career tried to do the same with Prithvi as well. They asked him to apologize for acting in Vinayan’s movie; and insisted that Prithvi should clearly state that he was ‘sorry’ and was not ready to settle for a mere ‘regret.' Obviously, he did not comply and was purposefully kept away from movies for around three months. So, after three months of forced exile from movies, Prithvi made a come back through the movie Albhutha Dweepu directed by Vinayan," she said.
Mallika said Prithvi had even contemplated returning to Australia to resume his education when he faced such a crisis in the industry. She says, “I just asked him one thing… whether he came to act in the movies even by giving his orientation course at the university a miss, to stay here for long or return after merely flashing his face on screen in just one or two movies. He firmly told me that he came to stay. Then I asked him to stay back no matter what."
“I still believe that my words had given my son courage and strength to fight back. It was then that Vinayan brought Prithvi back into the movies with Albhutha Dweep. After that there was no looking back for Prithvi,” she said.
She lauded Vinayan’s efforts in bringing significant changes in the life and careers of her sons. “Had it not been for Vinayan sir’s courageous interventions, Indrajith would have ended up in a software company probably in the US; and Prithvi might have returned to Australia. I am truly indebted to Vinayan sir; and I am sure there would be a lot of animosity towards people like Vinayan. But I am certain that he would emerge victorious even if he is surrounded by hostile forces; because we are people who fight for the truth and we never try to hurt another human being by jeopardizing their lives."