Prithviraj-starrer Kaduva has courted controversy over a scene in the film. The scene in question was seen as insensitive to children with disabilities. The Disability Commissioner has now issued notices to director Shaji Kailas, producers Supriya Menon and Listin Stephen on the issue.
The commission’s intervention came after it noticed that a dialogue between the hero and the villain in the film was insulting children with disabilities and their parents.
In the controversial scene, Kaduva, played by Prithviraj, claims that children with disabilities are born this way because of the actions of their parents. The action-drama film was co-produced by the actor’s production company, Prithviraj Productions. After the uproar over the discussion, Prithviraj took to social media to apologize.
Director Shaji Kailas also came forward with a detailed explanation and an unconditional apology for causing pain to the parents of children with disabilities.
“I request you to treat this as a mistake on our part and forgive us. The truth is that screenwriter Jinu, who wrote the scene, me who directed the sequence or Prithviraj who acted in the scene, didn’t think about other aspects of the dialogue when we were shooting for it. We were only thinking of taking the audience to the extent of the villain’s brutality.” He further said that he was only talking about the age-old adage about karma and the coming generations bearing the consequences of one’s actions and did not realize its implications.
He further clarified that he did not intend to imply that children with disabilities suffer for the actions of their parents. “I have seen some comments of parents saying that they are hurt by these dialogues in the film. Although my apology cannot undo the hurt caused by this scene, I am extending this apology,” he concluded.
Kaduva, which opens in theaters globally on July 7, also stars Vivek Oberoi as the antagonist. The lead role is played by Sanyuktha 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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