Lyricist and director Sreekumaran Thampi has alleged that he was among the first few people in the Malayalam film industry to be sidelined. Thampi also said power equations and stardom destroyed Malayalam cinema, but that has changed a bit after the rise of new and upcoming actors. He claimed that stars like Mohanlal and Mammootty also sidelined him and it was stars who determined which actors would direct their films.
He alleged that he was forced to relegate actor Ratheesh to the role of a villain and cast Mammootty as the lead in 'Munnettam' due to the power politics among stars in the industry. He also alleged that the actors determined who would direct and produce their films and removed old producers as per their whims.
Sreekumaran Thampi, while speaking to reporters in Thiruvananthapuram said the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) used their power to destroy MACTA, during its peak. He spoke about the disparity in pay among the heroes and heroines in the industry and alleged that with the advent of superheros, no heroine could claim more popularity than heroes in Malayalam cinema. He also said there was very less pay disparity among Sheela and Prem Nazir in the olden days.
