'Either Kairali chairman or Cola ambassador'; When Megastar Mammootty faced the wrath of VS Achuthanandan

A two-crore deal knocking on the doors of a Malayalam actor in 2004 was simply a case of dreams gone overboard. However, Soft drink manufacturer giant Coca-Cola wanted megastar Mammootty from Kerala to be their brand ambassador during the soft drink evolution era in the early 2000s. The whopping offer and being zeroed in on as the only south indian actor selected was enough and more for the actor to sign the deal. The news spread about the actor signing a lucrative death worth crores with the soft drink giants, which created ripples rather than awe across the political milieu of Kerala.

Those were times of protests in Palakkad’s Plachimada that led to the closure of the Coca-Cola factory in the village. The plant's operations had led to severe water depletion and contamination, sparking widespread protests and a long-standing legal battle for compensation.

Mammootty’s dream deal with the Cola company started facing heat after CPM heavyweight and the then leader of opposition, VS Achuthanandan, gave the actor a reality check. At that time, actor Mammootty was serving as the chairman of Malayalam Communications Ltd., which runs the television channels Kairali TV, Kairali News, and Kairali We; all of which are controlled by the CPM.

Mammootty’s initial response as per reports: “Coke is not banned in the country, and it is a good drink after all. I will seek assurance that the company will not exploit groundwater reserves.”

VS Achuthanandan was at the Kottayam guest house to attend an event when a journalist offhandedly asked for his response on the Cola-Mammootty row. VS pulled no punches and, without any shield of generosity, addressed the issue in his usual flair.

“Either Mammootty can continue as the chairman of Kairali or the ambassador of Cola. He can’t do both. On a personal note, I would wish Mammootty ignore the deal as it would be a disgrace to the villagers of Plachimada if he does otherwise”

A day after the incisive response from VS, Mammootty backed off from the deal with Coca-Cola. Any actor, with such a deal on his table, would have thought twice before denying it, but the ultimatum from VS was enough for one of the biggest superstars in the industry to do a course correction.