Alleging discrimination, actor stages live protest

Dramatic scenes were witnessed at a college union function in Kerala with a Malayalam actor squatting on the dais alleging discrimination by a filmmaker.

Actor Bineesh Bastin raised the allegations against filmmaker Anil Radhakrishnan Menon of having termed him a third-rate actor. With the video footage of the actor's protest going viral on the social media, the filmmaker tendered an apology through the media even as he denied the allegations of showing either casteist or any other sorts of discrimination.

With the issue snowballing into a major row, Kerala SC/ST Welfare Minister A K Balan said that further actions would be initiated in case of any formal complaint form Bineesh. Meanwhile, the pressure is also mounting on police and government to initiate suo motu legal action against Anil Radhakrishnan Menon, who is a national award winner.

The dramatic scenes took place at Government Medical College at Palakkad on Thursday evening. Both Bineesh and Anil were invited to the College Union Day celebration and magazine release. Anil had reportedly expressed reluctance in sharing the stage with Bineesh and hence organisers urged Bineesh to come to the venue one hour late. Bineesh had also agreed to it.

But as the event was progressing and Anil delivering his speech, Bineesh reached the venue and rushed into the dais and squatted on the centre. He said that Anil refused to share the stage with him owing to discrimination.

Anil allegedly told the organisers that Bineesh was a third-rate actor who used to approach him for chances in films. "It is the most insulting day in my life," said Bineesh, who acted in several Malayalam and couple of Tamil films.

Anil, however, maintained it was due to his stage fright that he was hesitant to share dais with any noted personalities and there was no sort of discrimination. He also said that he tender an apology to Bineesh from the bottom of his heart if he had hurt Bineesh.

The Malayalam film industry had been witnessing a series of differences among actors and filmmakers in the recent past including that of popular actor Manju Warrier even lodging a police case against director Shrikumar Menon.