Kerala Film Chamber of Commerce has come out with yet another resolution, which prevents film producers from making Television serials. Earlier it had asked the member producers not to cast film artists who take up roles in TV serials or produce them. The film producers association, film distributors association and film exhibitors association led by film chamber had met several times before taking up some decisions which was interpreted as unilateral one by the artists and directors. The film artists and technicians considered the resolution as a ban.

It appeared in the beginning that the three organizations were dictating to the artists and technicians. That made the later furious. Subsequently the chamber came out with clarifications that those were instructions to their members. However they stuck to the decisions. The main decision was that film artists who are in demand should not take up roles in TV serials or appear in TV and stage programs. If violated they will be banned from the films by the producers. Directives were issued to the members of the chamber.

Chamber accused that prime time TV serials are either in the afternoon and early hours of night thus preventing people especially women viewers from going to theatres. This is the case day after day. TV serial by Mammootty is a main attraction on DD channel in the after noon. Mohanlal has produced a TV serial, which has started telecast in the night. TV channels found out that the weekly once serials are not popular with the viewers and started telecasting daily serials. All the popular serials have become tearjerkers with women oriented plots, a factor, which makes them compulsory viewing. They found out that they could draw more viewers by casting film artists in the main roles. Several film stars including Vinayaprasad, Beena Antony, KPAC Lalitha, Jagathy, Jagadeesh, Innocent, Nedumudi Venu took up roles in serials. Chamber has asked both the super stars to leave film field if they wish to continue in TV serial making. This meant that they no longer consider them as matinee crowd pullers, which is not a fact. They did not reciprocate to this humiliating demand but a announcement by director Shaji Kailas came out immediately. Shaji Kailas a highly successful in super action thriller films announced a mega TV serial! He said this would be a serial stretching to a span of two years. He further said that he would bring either Mohanlal or Mammootty in the main role in the serial. No doubt this is a direct sequel to the chambers demand that Mohanlal and Mammootty leave the film field. He said he would start shooting the serial from July 1 the date from which the directives by the chamber come in to effect!

The script actually written for a film with a dozen leading film artists in the cast is named as "Karutha Pennu" and is being used in the context of present tussle. This will start telecast on Onam day. "I will make serials. I will make films also. Let's see what happens. Mohanlal is going to be the hero in this serial," Shaji Kailas says to the press. One may notice a tone of slight over reaction in Shaji Kailas.

"Visual magic my production company will make films, serials and cartoon films. If my friends ask me to act in serials I will accept the role" says a more hurt Mohanlal. "Cinema will not disappear just because my brief presence in TV. I have had a long and hard time in films before success came in my way. I had been to Cannes with my film. I knew that it would not make money. But money is not all that matters". He wanted the producers to talk sense. "Just because a few film actors stopped acting in serials will not improve the chances of film industry. As for me I would quit when the viewers no more want me in films".

Jagathy Sreekumar an essential actor as far as the Malayalam industry said that nobody could deny the right of a person for a job. The controversy heated up when actor Innocent who is also the president of association of artists came out openly against the decisions of the chamber last week. Though his remarks were rather free of organizational format, Mohanlal and Mammootty next day supported it. He said the commercial backlash in the film production cannot be corrected by punishing a few artists and that the association will not tolerate any action initiated by the chamber. The remarks he made were point blank shots and the chamber retorted immediately. Innocent shot his remarks point by point, which went like this.

- TV viewers have the opportunity to see an average of 15 films a day.
- It is the producers who sell the films to TV channels.
- In the last festival season the films shown on channels were all new ones. Who is responsible for spectators not turning up in theaters on those days?
- Many members of the chamber are producing TV serials. Instead of punishing them the chamber is targeting the artists.
- It is the director who finds out and moulds the acting talents. Can the chamber substitute the artists Thilakan or Lalitha or the like?

AMMA the association of artists is sitting next week to discuss the burning issues before them. Chamber wants its decisions to come into effect from July 1. They are handing over the list of film artists much in demand or well accepted by the moviegoers currently, to the member producers. They are required to stop casting them in their films immediately or face a ban themselves by the chamber. The film exhibitors will not take films in which the actors identified for screening.

Will the chamber ask the theatre viewers not to watch TV serials or those TV programs in which film artists appear. And ban them if they violate the directive?