Actor Shane Nigam had a quick rise to stardom thanks to his talent as well as the meaty roles he got to play so early in his career. Moreover, he won the affection of fans being the son of the late Kalabhavan Abi, who was one among the most-loved comedians in Malayalam.
Unfortunately, Shane was involved in a series of controversies recently and even a ban has been suggested on the young actor. Shane’s mother Sunila reveals her side of the story while speaking to Onmanorama.
Sunila complains that people blaming Shane have not contacted the family to learn the real facts. “Neither social media nor the mainstream news organisations present our version of the events. In fact, nobody has sought our views so far,” says Shane’s mother.
She points out how real facts get misrepresented. “One day around 9 am, I received a call from Sarath, director of the movie ‘Veyil’, the shooting of which was underway, that Shane had walked out of the location. I immediately called Shane and he told me that the previous day’s shooting had lasted till 2.30 am and that my call had woken him up from sleep. He also informed me that the next schedule was at noon,” says Sunila.
“I then called Sarath and an argument followed between us,” she adds.
According to Sunila, there were no complaints regarding Shane from the directors of any other film he had acted earlier. “You can check it out with them. Moreover, the makers of ‘Ishq’ told me that Shane’s behaviour on the sets was very good. Now the director and producer of ‘Qurbani’ are prepared to resume the shooting any time,” she adds.
She reveals an incident related to ‘Qurbani’, the work on which has been stalled. “Veteran actor Charuhasan plays a major role in the film. One day during the shooting, Shane and his friends suffered from food poisoning. All of them were bedridden. Unfortunately, Charuhasan had to return from the shooting location that day itself. So, the producer asked Shane whether he could act after taking medicines,” says Sunila.
Also read: Shane is a talented actor but not well behaved: Veyil director Sarath
“Shane agreed, but he was very tired and it could be seen on his face. Charuhasan pointed out that it was an actor’s face that should display the expressions and Shane with his exhausted face would hardly be able to emote,” continues Shane’s mother.
According to her, Charuhasan promised the makers of the film that he would return to complete it later.
“This being the real case, they tried to provoke Shane. How could he show expressions with an uncooperative team? I have no idea why they are creating unnecessary issues and shifting the blame on Shane. They are now even alleging that he is sabotaging the shooting,” adds a distraught Sunila.
She also speaks on the controversy that led to FEFKA (Film employees’ federation of Kerala) intervention. “The film’s team had told us that shooting would last 15 days. However, they later demanded 24 days, which we refused,” she says.
Another row was a comment attributed to Shane. “My son reportedly told director Sarath that he was destroying nature. However, what he meant was that Sarath was not willing to see the truth. Shane’s words were again misinterpreted. You should remember that he is just 22 years old,” says Sunila.
Now some people are saying that Shane cropped his hair in defiance. “There is no truth in this allegation too,” says the actor’s mother.
Yet another grave charge against Shane is that he is into drugs. “They say Shane smokes ganja and speaks under its influence. But won't it will be me, his mother, who would be the first to know if he does such an act,” reveals Sunila. Shane is also blamed for destroying his own career. “Who will do such a thing?” asks Sunila in surprise.
