'Most of them are remakes, Prem Kumar's statement is not correct; he should tell which serial is spewing poison'

Television serial actor Sajan Surya has reacted against Kerala Chalachitra Academy chairman Prem Kumar over his endosulfan remark against Malayalam television serials. The actor's reaction comes after the Association of Malayalam Television Artists (ATMA) responded to Prem Kumar's statement. Speaking to a YouTube channel, Sajan Surya said that Prem Kumar expressed his opinion without studying the matter in detail.

"Prem Kumar and I are close friends. He said that some serials are as harmful as endosulfan. That statement has not properly reached the society. He should clarify which television serials are spewing poison. He shouldn't have made such a statement while sitting in the position of the Chalachitra Academy chairman. Now, Prem Kumar has clarified his statement. Otherwise, it would have affected the entire industry," Sajan Surya said.

"This will not affect the artists in ATMA in any way. It's not the artists who should respond to this issue, but the channels that air these serials. He expressed his opinion without learning about the subject. Serials progress based on the content provided by the channels. He might not be aware of that. The only two serials on that channel that aren't remakes are 'Geetha Govindam', which I act in, and 'Malikappuram'. Except for a few serials on some top channels, all other serials are remakes. It's the channels that provide such content. So, they should be the ones responding to the issue," he said.

"ATMA has responded about the matter. Serials are given Rs 1 lakh to air an episode, and more than 50 people work on it. The situation is such that they can't even afford to provide good food on sets. It's only in Kerala that people say an industry should be shut down. Will this happen without the government gaining any profit from it?" Sajan Surya asks.