Mammootty initially refused to come when we invited him for closing session of Kalolsavam; this was his reason, says minister

KOLLAM: Kannur has emerged as the winner of the 62nd Kerala School Kalolsavam. Megastar Mammootty was the chief guest for the closing ceremony held at the main venue at Ashramam Maidan in Kollam this evening. Speaking at the event, Education Minister V Sivankutty said that when Mammootty was invited to the event, he initially said that he wouldn't be able to come to the event because of the film shooting.

"Mammootty initially refused to come when we invited him for the closing ceremony. He said that he had film shooting and that the crew members will face difficulty if the shooting got cancelled," he said. Hearing this, I said Mammootty cannot make such a decision. Mammootty is the common property of our Malayalis. Later, Mammootty agreed to come," the minister said.

Sivankutty said that 239 competitions were held at various venues and that no one had any complaints. "All the competitions were held at the specified time in all the venues. This is Kollam's uniqueness. At present, the prize winners are given Rs 1000 each. The prize money for winners will be increased next year," he said.