Prithviraj Sukumaran apologises for ‘insensitive’ scene in Kaduva

In the recently released Malayalam movie Kaduva, there is a scene where actor Prithviraj Sukumaran’s character Kaduvakkunnel Kuruvachan says that differently-abled children are born with such conditions as a result of their parents’ past sins. The scene offended Parivaar, an association of parents of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and they filed a complaint against the makers for the ‘insensitive’ scene. State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities SH Panchapakesan had also issued notices to director Shaji Kailas, and producers Supriya Menon and Listin Stephen, seeking an explanation for the dialogues used in the film.

While producers of Kaduva issued an apology note on Facebook and removed the derogatory scene, now actor Prithviraj Sukumaran and film’s director Shaji Kailas have also issued apologies through their respective social media accounts. Prithviraj took to Instagram on Sunday and shared director Shaji Kailas’ statement with a caption, “Sorry. It was a mistake. We acknowledge and accept it.” The statement by Shaji read, “Apologies for the hurtful reference to the parents of differently-abled children in my film Kaduva…The only request is to forgive the human error.” The director also added that the intention behind it ‘was to convince him and the audience of the cruelty of the villain’s actions’. —TMS