Did Divya Unni refuse to act opposite Kalabhavan Mani? Director Vinayan breaks silence

Veteran Malayalam director Vinayan has broken his silence on long-standing allegations against actress Divya Unni regarding her refusal to act alongside late actor Kalabhavan Mani.

For years, many claimed that Divya Unni rejected roles opposite Mani, including a romantic song sequence in his 1996 film Kalyana Sougandhikam and the lead role in the much-acclaimed film Vasanthiyum Lakshmiyum Pinne Njaanum.

Responding to a comment posted by a fan on his social media post about Kalyana Sougandhikam, Vinayan clarified that Divya Unni was not the actress who refused to play the heroine opposite Mani in Vasanthiyum Lakshmiyum Pinne Njaanum.

“It was another well-known actress, whose name I have never revealed. Divya was never approached for that role,” he wrote.

Recalling Kalyana Sowgandhikam, Vinayan said Mani had once jokingly mentioned in an interview that Divya preferred to act with Dileep, her hero in the film, rather than do a love scene with Mani.

“Divya was just 14 at the time, making her debut as Dileep’s heroine. It was more of a dream and excitement to act with him. Once I explained the scene with patience, she agreed and performed it. Mani himself had narrated it humorously,” the director added.

Vinayan stressed that the confusion arose because his comments about different films were mixed up by others. “The actress who expressed difficulty in acting with Mani (in Vasanthiyum Lakshmiyum Pinne Njaanum) was never Divya Unni... The truth needed to be clarified because repeated false claims kept targeting Divya,” he said.

Kalabhavan Mani, who appeared in over 250 films across Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, and Telugu cinema, was widely celebrated for his roles as both a comedian and a villain. He had collaborated on several projects with director Vinayan. Mani received the National Film Award – Special Jury Award and Kerala State Film Awards for his performance as Ramu in Vinayan’s Vasanthiyum Lakshmiyum Pinne Njaanum, released in 1999. 

The actor passed away in 2016 at the age of 45. A day earlier, he had been admitted to Amrita Hospital in Kochi with haematemesis and was placed in the ICU.