Wednesday, May 12, 2004

Looks like this year is bad one for Malayalam film industry. AMMA and KFC have declared war.

There have been numerous problems in the industry. Some of them are dearth of good stories, declining production values, ageing superstars, and the audience's preference for slicker Tamil and Hindi films over low-tech Malayalam cinema.

Now the industry has become a victim of a confrontation between the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) and the Kerala Film Chamber (KFC). The conflict has brought the industry to a virtual standstill.

The balance appears to be tilting towards the KFC. A few directors are resuming work with new faces.

Veteran actors like Lalu Alex, Suresh Krishna and Prithviraj are signing contracts with KFC. Young actors like Jayasurya, Meera Jasmine and Bhavana have followed.