'Election must be conducted among intellectuals or else there will be situations like this'; actor Hareesh Peradi lashes out against fake intellectuals in Malayalam cinema

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Popular actor Hareesh Peradi has lashed out against the process involved in the selection of movies for film festivals in the state. The criticism was made in the wake of a controversy regarding the films selected for the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK). The actor made the criticism through his Facebook page.

His post reads- 'Proper elections are conducted in organisations such as SFI, DYFI and CPM. In my opinion, an election must be conducted among intellectuals as well or else we might have to face situations like this in our future film festivals. Nowadays, there are several filmmakers who claim themselves to be intellectuals by simply transplanting Latin-American characters and situations into Kerala's landscapes. I cannot understand how such fake intellectuals acting as Kerala agencies are getting selected for our film festivals.

Being an actor who has acted in commercial films, I know that making films such as Pulimurugan, Madhuraraja and Baahubai is extremely difficult. It is a risky game that needs a proper understanding of common man's dreams and sensibilities unlike the safe zone game played by these fake intellectuals. These so-called intellectuals who referred to the development of the film adaptation of Koodathayi murders as cultural degradation are the same people who cashed in on the Nipah disease by making a film about it and called it a cultural activity. We, the common people who pay their taxes, demand that such fake intellectuals must not be let loose. Instead, freedom to select movies must be given to the new generations who love cinema in an honest way.'