Prithviraj-starrer Kaduva has courted controversy over a scene in the movie. The scene in question was seen as insensitive towards differently-abled children. The Disability Commissioner has now issued a notice to director Shaji Kailas, producers Supriya Menon and Listin Stephen over the issue.
The commission’s intervention came after it observed that a dialogue between the hero and the villain in the movie was insulting the differently-abled children and their parents.
In the controversial scene, Kaduva, played by Prithviraj, claims that differently-abled children are born that way owing to their parents’ actions. The action-drama film was co-produced by the actor’s production company, Prithviraj Productions. Following the uproar over the discussion, Prithviraj rushed to social media to apologise.
Director Shaji Kailas also came forward with a detailed explanation and an unconditional apology for inflicting pain on the parents of children with disabilities.
“I request you to consider it as a mistake on our part and forgive us. The fact is that screenwriter Jinu who wrote the scene, I who directed the sequence or Prithviraj who acted in the scene did not think about the other aspects of the dialogue when we were shooting it. We were only thinking about conveying the extent of the villain’s cruelty to the audience.” He further said that they were only talking about the age-old saying about karma and the next generations suffering the consequences of someone’s actions and did not realize its implications.
He further clarified that they did not intend to say that differently-abled children are suffering for the doings of their parents. “I have seen some comments from parents, saying that they were hurt by these dialogues in the movie. Although my apology might not undo the hurt that was caused through this scene, I am still extending this apology,” he concluded.
Kaduva, which opened in theatres globally on July 7, also stars Vivek Oberoi as the antagonist. The female lead is played by Samyukhta Menon. The plot is set in the 1990s and follows Kaduva, a powerful rubber planter, and his rivalry with Vivek Oberoi’s character Joseph.
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