Malayalam scriptwriter Unni R has slammed noted director Kamal for targetting a popular dialogue he had scripted for Mammotty-starrer 'Big B'. Kamal had recently criticised the dialogue "Kochi pazhaya Kochiyalla" (Kochi is not what it used to be) mouthed by megastar Mammootty by saying that the smash-hit dialogue created misconceptions about the place.
In a note addressed to Kamal, Unni said he didn’t understand why the dialogue had upset him.
"Does the dialogue create misapprehension about Kochi? You belong to a generation which believes that cinema should have a message, right? Not only Kochi but cinema too is not what it used to be. It changed a lot and has gone forward. This dialogue is said by people irrespective of their gender or generation to denote a change or used as a caption in campaign posters; that too in the most progressive sense. The dialogue didn't get limited as a moral advice in the movie. I am surprised that even you couldn't find another dialogue to describe Kochi while talking about the place," said the award-winning writer.
Unni added that even the times and the spirit of the country have changed. Referring to the national anthem row at the International Film Festival of Kerala last year when some BJP men addressed Kamal as Kamaludeen and termed him 'anti-national', Unni R wondered whether the filmmaker realised the scary irony in it.
The scriptwriter said that the country is being ruled by those who refuse to accept change or cannot understand diversity. "It feels strange that you made such a remark while taking part in a programme about the diversity of the Islamic heritage. Kochi has many faces. If we adamantly argue that Kochi should have only one face, then the diversity that all of us wish to perceive will be lost forever. The dialogue that you chose to make such a critique was not the right one." Unni concluded his note by signing his name below as "Unni R who wrote that dialogue".
