Veteran director Vinayan has accused the Kerala government of being disrespectful to late actor Kalabhavan Mani. Lambasting the state government for not screening any of Kalabhavan Mani’s movies at the ‘Keraleeyam’ event, Vinayan said that “The state government should hang their heads in shame.”

“They are carrying on the vendetta against me by not choosing to showcase Mani’s movies,” wrote Vinayan in a Facebook post remembering the late actor. 

“Kalabhavan continues to live in the hearts of Keralites, his immaculate acting skills have earned him a separate fanbase. Not to forget, he is a prolific singer too... At the Keraleeyam programme, 22 movies were screened in honour of various actors, but not even a single movie of Kalabhavan Mani was showcased at the event," he wrote. 

Vinayan is of the opinion that by not screening any of Mani’s movies, the LDF government has literally insulted the prowesses of the late Dalit actor. He also said that “Mani had faced discrimination all along his life, even inside the film industry.”

The director of yesteryear hits like ‘Vasanthiyum Lakshmiyum Pinne Njanum’ and ‘Karumadikuttan’ stated that certain government officials have a sick attitude. He also reminded the Kalabahavan Mani memorial is yet to be built despite the government allocating funds for it.    

At the end of his Facebook post, Vinayan says, “No matter how much ever the authorities try to neglect the legacy of Kalabhavan Mani, there is absolutely no denying the fact that no other artist in the state has managed to have a kind of influence in the lives of common people like how Kalabhavan Mani has had all along his life.”