Director Vinayan writes to Kerala CM seeking to remove FEFKA gen secy from policy-making panel

Malayalam director Vinayan has formally requested Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to remove FEFKA general secretary B Unnikrishnan from the committee tasked with formulating the draft film policy for the state. Vinayan in his letter presented a legal evidence highlighting director Unnikrishnan's involvement in denying him the right to work.

Vinayan detailed that a three-member Supreme Court bench, chaired by Justice Nariman, had upheld a Competition Commission of India (CCI) order against Unnikrishnan. According to Vinayan, the CCI had imposed a penalty on Unnikrishnan. The penalty reportedly came in response to Vinayan's arguments that Unnikrishnan had tried to undermine his career in the Malayalam film industry for over the past 12 years.

In his letter, Vinayan argued that a person with such a background should not be involved in shaping film policy and expressed hope that the Chief Minister would consider his request favourably.

The policy formulation committee was established in June 2023 at a meeting chaired by Culture Minister Saji Cherian. The 10-member committee is chaired by Shaji N Karun, with all its members, except the Culture Department Secretary, from the Malayalam film industry. Actress Manju Warrier and cinematographer Rajeev Ravi, who were part of the committee, had resigned earlier, citing a lack of time as their reason for leaving.

Meanwhile, CPM MLA and actor Mukesh, who is also part of the committee, is likely to step down following strong opposition from various quarters.