Mohanlal said that after the Hema committee report, AMA is being singled out, the entire industry is responsible

Actor Mohanlal speaks during a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala on August 31, 2024.

Claiming that “arrows of criticism” are being directed only at the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) following the release of the Hema Committee report, actor and former AMMA president Mohanlal said on Saturday (August 31, 2024) “The entire industry is held accountable for the issues highlighted in the report. .

In his first interaction with the media after the release of the report on August 19 and the sudden dissolution of the AMMA executive committee earlier this week, Mr. Mohanlal said he “never shied away” from reacting to the matter, but was held back. In personal commitment.

“People are asking where did Mohanlal disappear to when there was such trouble. I didn’t run away from anything. I had personal commitments in different cities and later had to stay with my wife who had a surgery. The final mix of my debut directory Twelve was ongoing. Due to these problems the release is now postponed. I do not know how to speak authoritatively. So, I usually don’t hold press conferences,” he said.

Mr. Mohanlal, who made most of the comments on the issue in his opening remarks, was rather evasive on questions raised by mediapersons. The session ended abruptly after the actor took a few questions, none of which were answered directly.

Hema welcomed the report of the committee

“The problems that are happening in other sectors are also part of cinema. Welcome the report of the HEMA Committee. I presented myself before the committee and answered all their questions. The entire industry should respond to the report. It is not right to crucify AMMA or a person for every matter. We decided to disband the committee after discussions with lawyers and seniors as most of the criticism was unnecessarily directed at AMMA,” said Mr. Mohanlal.

He said that the Malayalam film industry, which has “built up through hard work” and which has gained fame in the international arena, now faces the possibility of “destruction” due to the relentless attacks last week.

“Thousands of people depend on this industry for survival. Now this industry is facing destruction. I request you to destroy this industry without focusing too much on us. Those who have done wrong should be punished. Actors are emotional people, who can get excited or even break down over the smallest of issues. What happened is deeply painful,” he said.

‘Not aware of any power group’

Mr. Mohanlal said he was not “aware” of the existence of any power groups in the Malayalam film industry.

When asked whether the names of the redacted criminals from the Hema committee report should be published, he said, “It should come out, but it is the government’s decision.”

He said, the report mentioned many possibilities for improvement of the industry. “Let it be a big movement that starts from Kerala. I hope it will happen in all other cases,” he said.

For most questions, the actor’s oft-repeated reply was “What can I say about this?”

“If you ask me more questions, I won’t be able to answer because they are beyond my control,” he said.