IT Raid won't dent Super Stars' Image: Priyadarshan

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Leading film-maker Priyadarshan on Friday said he believed the recent Income Tax raids against superstars Mamootty and Mohanlal would neither affect their image nor the Malayalam cinema.

"It is not going to affect their image. It is not going to affect Malayalam cinema," Priyadarshan, who recently took over as Chairman of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, said in reply to queries at a press meet here.

"There is no accusation against them. Different people are saying different things. Let us wait for the final results", said Priyadarshan, who has cast Mohanlal in lead roles in his popular hits like "Kilukkam", "Thalavattam" and "Vandanam."

I-T department last week raided residences and business premises of the two actors in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka following information that they had wealth disproportionate to their known sources of income.

On questions about he and Mohanlal bidding for an Indian Premier League team some time ago, he said “when a project comes up, it is natural to discuss it."

"I am interested in IPL. I am still interested. Let us see," he said.

Setting up a film institute to train technical persons for movie industry was one of the important proposals mooted by him after taking over as Chairman of the Academy, he said.

"The movie industry requires lot of technicians. Technology, which is fast changing, is very important in cinema. So, if we set up an institute, we would impart high quality training to a lot of people," he said.

The idea of forging ties between the proposed institute and television channels was also under consideration. "We think, we will be able to move things (regarding the institute) in another four months", he said.

Priyadarshan said he did not subscribe to the view that the entire film industry could be brought under one institution like the Chalachitra academy, as mooted by some quarters.

Still, the government could do a lot of things to support the film industry and the academy could act like a guiding body. "The Government could do a lot of things for films. The disaster that has happened to the Bengali films is before us," he said.

"A Good thing that has happened this time in Kerala is that the Minister in charge of cinema is from the film world", he said referring to actor-turned politician K B Gaensh Kumar, the minister for cinema in the Oommen Chandy Government.

Priyadarshan, who hails from Thiruvananthapuram, said he was sure he would be able to devote some considerable time for the Chalachitra academy in spite of his busy schedule as a film-maker on the national scene.

Priyadarshan said he did not subscribe to the view that the entire film industry could be brought under one institution like the Chalachitra academy, as mooted by some quarters.

Still, the government could do a lot of things to support the film industry and the academy could act like a guiding body. "The Government could do a lot of things for films. The disaster that has happened to the Bengali films is before us," he said.

"A Good thing that has happened this time in Kerala is that the Minister in charge of cinema is from the film world", he said referring to actor-turned politician K B Gaensh Kumar, the minister for cinema in the Oommen Chandy Government.

Priyadarshan, who hails from Thiruvananthapuram, said he was sure he would be able to devote some considerable time for the Chalachitra academy in spite of his busy schedule as a film-maker on the national scene.

Keywords: IT raid, lal's house raid, Priyadarshan, Income Tax raids