A Malayalam film has become a topic of heated discussion on and off social media after Tamil writer B. Jeyamohan described it as a reflection of “wayward” Malayalis and “a frenzy of drunken porukkis (loafers)”, prompting many to see it as part of a Sangh Parivar campaign to tarnish the state.
While the film, Manjummel Boys, running to packed houses in southern states has attracted positive reviews and comments from cinegoers and professionals alike, Jeyamohan has in a recent blog described it as a symbol of wayward behaviour of Malayalis and gone on to brand film professionals based in Ernakulam as drug addicts.
Among the slew of recent Malayalam hits, Manjummel Boys is a survival drama involving a group of working class youths and their mission to rescue one among them from the perilously deep Guna Caves in Tamil Nadu. The film has been a runaway box office hit.
Jeyamohan trashed the film for “normalising the actions of scoundrels” by portraying it as a celebration by common people and expressed full support for police atrocities on drunk youths as depicted in the film.
The writer has, however, come under heavy criticism from both states.
Some even saw it as part of the larger anti-Kerala campaign by the Sangh Parivar that had earlier leveraged the Bollywood film The Kerala Story about Muslim youths luring non-Muslim girls to become “Jihadi brides”.
While the film has been winning plaudits and is the subject of the latest Amul caricature, Jeyamohan painted it as a reflection of drunkenness and boorish behaviour by Malayali youths.
In his blog, Jeyamohan alleged that Malayali youths discard liquor bottles “as portrayed in the film”.
“Broken or unbroken bottles can be found all along the Sengottai-Kuttralam and Gudalur-Ooty roads. The vehicles of these drunkards bear stains of vomit on both sides,” Jeyamohan alleged.
His grouse was that such carelessly discarded bottles end up hurting wild animals, especially elephants.
CPM politburo member M.A. Baby attributed such remarks to Jeyamohan’s “Sangh Parivar background”.
