Thilakan and Shammi: victims of caste-based discrimination?

molliekutty :)

The much-respected and senior actor Thilagan says that his son Shammi Thilagan and he are the victims of caste-based discrimination in the Malayalam film industry.

Thilagan said that attempts are on to remove his son and him from the film industry because they belonged to the Ezhava community. He also claimed that the Malayalam film industry is seriously in the grip of caste-based politics.

In the olden days, regionalism was the dominating factor. Malayalam film industry was divided broadly in three 'belts'- the Kozhikode belt, the Kochi belt and the Thiruvananthapuram belt. But, according to Thilagan, it now stands divided in two parts- the Nair class and the Muslim class.

For a long time, the feud was brewing between Thilagan and the rest of the film industry. Now, it is coming out in the open.

Serious troubles began a few years ago when AMMA had ostracized Thilagan for supporting the producers' association. Though other actors too were involved in the anti-AMMA protests, Thilagan was the one who had to bear the brunt of AMMA's anger. Though Prithviraj too was on the receiving end of AMMA's ire, his career managed to survive because he found an alternate base in Tamil.

Rajappan · Posted: Thu Aug 03, 2006 5:50 pm Post subject:

Thilakanu korachu kalam ayi thundagiyatha ee parathi parachilukal. Angane caste descrimination undel ee kalabhavan mani okke ippo hero ayi vilasunnandakumo. Ithu ingeru chumma oro issue undakkan vendi parayunnathavum. d'oh!