Didn’t mould Murali’s sculpture spreading on social media, says sculptor Wilson

Thiruvananthapuram: The sculpture in the viral photo circulated on social media claiming to be of late actor Murali was actually created by a different sculptor, said Wilson Pookkayil, who won the bid for the project.

Kerala's finance department had put an end to the moulding of the actor’s sculpture and wrote off an expense of Rs 5,70,000 spent for the purpose after Wilson told the authorities that he was unable to repay it. Several online media carried a photograph of a sculpture allegedly created by Wilson. It later went viral on social media.

Responding to the controversy, Wilson told Mathrubhumi News, “I did not complete carving Murali’s sculpture. It is currently in my rented house in Kochi. Its picture has not been published anywhere. The one being circulated now was sculpted by Rajan.” 

“Initially I began moulding the sculpture based on a picture of the actor. However, I changed the picture and opted for another upon the direction of then Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi chairperson KPAC Lalitha,” he said.

“I had planned to finish the sculpture. However, the government’s decision to drop the initiative has hurt me a lot,” added Wilson.

He also alleged that a member of the Akademi asked him for bribe in a previous project. "It was a massive project worth Rs 65 lakh. This official asked me to do the work of a library in his house for free if I wanted the job. They are now targeting me for not falling in line," he said.