A Malayalam film actor who is a vocal critic of Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan was earlier this week abruptly told to stay away from a theatre personality’s memorial event he was to inaugurate when the actor was already halfway through the 190km journey to the venue.

The outspoken Hareesh Peradi, who predominantly acts in Malayalam and Tamil films and associates himself with a “progressive” brand of Left politics, had been originally listed by the CPM-backed Purogamana Kala Sahithya Sangham (Progressive art and literary forum) to inaugurate the commemoration of theatre artiste A. Shantakumar at the Town Hall in Kozhikode on June 16.

But Peradi — who has often openly opposed Vijayan, the latest instance being lending his voice to the protests against the chief minister in connection with a gold smuggling case — was in for a snub while driving down to Kozhikode from Coimbatore after taking time off a shooting schedule. He received a call from an organiser asking him not to attend the event because of political reasons.

“Half way through I received a call from the organiser who politely said it would be better not to attend the event under the current political circumstances,” Peradi, a character artiste who also does theatre, wrote on Facebook.

He told the organisers through the social media post that he didn’t need anyone’s platform to remember Shantakumar. “The greatest love I can give you (Shantakumar) is to stay away from the commemorative event if I am an impediment…. I don’t need anyone’s help to remember you,” Peradi wrote.

The actor had recently come out against the police action on those wearing black clothes in protest against the backdrop of the claim of a 2020 gold smuggling accused that Vijayan and his family members were among those involved in pilfering US dollars from Kerala to Dubai as part of a larger plot.

Pinarayi Vijayan. File picture

The statement recorded by Swapna Suresh before a magistrate in Ernakulam rekindled statewide protests by Opposition parties who sought the chief minister’s resignation. Many wore black attire to demonstrate their anger.

But some overzealous police officers began stopping protesters — and even others incidentally wearing black anti-Covid masks — to stay away from events attended by Vijayan or remove the masks before entering the venue.

The chief minister later clarified that his government had not ordered the police to take such action.

Many, including Peradi, flayed Vijayan for “intolerance” and “fascist mindset” and accused him of obstructing the democratic right to protest that the CPM has always held aloft.

The actor posted a picture of him in a black shirt and black mask on June 11 during the height of the protests and used some unparliamentary words while describing Vijayan as “a timid fascist”. Peradi had also urged everyone to wear black clothes for at least two days as a mark of protest against the crackdown.

Shantakumar is a well-known theatre personality who scripted and directed several plays, one of the most famous being Ottarathriyiude Kamukimaar (Lovers for one night). The play, written two decades ago, revolved around sex workers.

The president of the Purogamana Kala Sahithya Sangham, Asokan Charuvil, apologised for Peradi not being allowed to attend the event. “It is wrong to invite a person and then remove him. I regret such a development and issue an unconditional apology to Peradi,” Charuvil, who is touring Europe, said in a statement.

But he drew attention to the reasons that may have driven the organisers to take certain decisions like the one against Peradi and noted how the Union government was harassing Opposition leaders like Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Vijayan using central agencies.

“PuKaSa (abbreviation for the organisation) is not ready to cooperate with anyone who supports these actions directed by the RSS,” Charuvil added.

Many social media users came out against the Sahithya Sangham and questioned its progressive credentials. “Is it enough to have ‘progressive’ in the name? Isn’t it needed in your deeds?” asked one Jyothi Peringave.

“What kind of politics is this? Politics that doesn’t have a place for those who take a stand is very dangerous,” noted Nishant Kodamana.