‘I use a small trick to eliminate my enemies – I turn them into my friends’: Mammootty | WATCH

Kochi: Malayalam cinema icon Mammootty has shared a simple yet profound philosophy on confronting hatred – he eliminates his enemies by turning them into friends. The actor was speaking after receiving the Sreshta Bava Award, instituted in memory of the late Catholicos Baselios Thomas I.

Reflecting on the recognition, Mammootty spoke warmly of his bond with the late spiritual leader. “Many of you may have both satisfaction and dissatisfaction with my acting performances. However, there is deep meaning to be found in the decision to honour me with an award such as this,” he said.
 

“Sreshta Bava Thirumeni was someone who collaborated extensively with me on charitable initiatives. That is why his passing felt like a personal loss, bringing me here today,” he said.

Addressing the growing divisiveness in society, the actor urged people to recognise evil and hatred as the true adversaries rather than one another. “From the moment we wake up in the morning, we are constantly seeing and hearing things that foster mutual hatred, inject malice into our minds, spread animosity and breed xenophobia,” Mammootty observed.

“Many people view each other as enemies. Yet our real enemy is evil, not goodness. We may call evil by many names, but whatever name we give it, evil remains evil. Hatred is simply another word for evil,” he added.

Mammootty went on to explain his own approach to disarming hostility, drawing applause from the gathering.

“Hatred takes root the moment we begin to see someone as an enemy. To eliminate or destroy my enemies, I use a small trick,” Mammootty said.

“It does not involve bombing them, hiring people to beat them up, or shooting them. Every enemy I know, I destroy by making them my friend. We can turn all our enemies into friends. Even if they do not take the first step, we must take the initiative,” he concluded.