Prithviraj Sukumaran, the director and star of the Malayalam film “Kaduva,” issued an apology on Sunday following backlash over some offensive lines directed at people with disabilities.
In the film, which was released on July 7, the protagonist, played by Prithviraj, was shown making inappropriate remarks about people with disabilities and their parents. The movie discussion influenced the Parivaar State Commission for Persons with Problems, which was founded by a group of parents of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
The State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities has written to filmmaker Kailas and producers Supriya Menon and Listin Stephen, requesting an explanation for the scathing language. Meanwhile, Kailas apologised for the incident on Facebook with a “heartfelt apology.”
“I tender a heartfelt apology for the remarks that hurt the parents of differently-abled children in the movie Kaduva, directed by me. That dialogue in the movie was a mistake. I would request everyone to forgive me as it was human error. Neither did scriptwriter Jinu who penned the dialogue, nor did actor Prithviraj, nor I, who shot the scene, realised its possible connotations,” Kailas wrote in his Facebook post.
Sharing Kailas’ post, Prithviraj also posted an apology on Facebook. “Sorry. It was a mistake. We acknowledge and accept it,” the actor wrote. Numerous posts calling out the remarks became viral on social media.
