Malayalam film producer M Renjith has expressed his regret for hurting the people of Kasargod. The producer had spoken about substance abuse during a press meet last week, where the Kerala Film Producers Association announced their decision not to cooperate with actors Shane Nigam and Sreenath Bhasi anymore. Renjith, the president of the Association, said that their decision was a result of complaints about the conduct of actors in film sets and attributed it to drug use.
Renjith's comment that several of the recent films were shot in Kasargod, the northernmost district of the state, because of the “easy availability of drugs," had offended many. Actor Rajesh Madhavan, who is from Kasargod and has been part of movies shot there, reacted to the comment on Dool News, saying that it was a problematic statement whichever way you read it. It insulted the films made in Kasargod, the people who went to work in films from there, and the residents of Kasargod, he said.
Filmmakers Sudheesh Gopinath and Ratheesh Balakrishnan Poduval, who have made Kasargod-based films recently, also spoke out against Renjith's comment.
After this, Ranjith posted on Facebook that his statement was not about Kasargod or the people there. "There was an allegation that since it is easy to transport drugs from other states to Kasargod (as it is a border district), several film shootings are now conducted there. That is what led me to make this comment. I understand that the statement has hurt my friends, acquaintances and the people of Kasargod. I am saddened by that," he wrote before expressing his regrets.
Meanwhile, actor Shane Nigam approached the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) after the producers association spoke about not casting him or Sreenath Bhasi in films they funded anymore. Shane is a member of the A.M.M.A., while Sreenath is yet to become one.