Amid the ongoing tussle between various factions of the Malayalam film industry, the Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA) has come out with more allegations against director Aashiq Abu, who is one of their members. Abu had earlier replied on the social media to some of the questions raised by the union. However, FEFKA pointed out that he is repeating lies through such posts.
In a note, the union has refuted his allegations against him point by point as follows:
Lie no.1: That FEFKA sought a 20% service charge for having obtained from you and the screenplay writers the copyright share for 'Salt and Pepper.'
The truth: FEFKA only demanded the 10% mandatory fee from you. We're furnishing below the letter we had sent you.
Lie no.2: In an interview with a weekly, you claimed that FEFKA demanded 20% commission from you.
The truth: You yourself have admitted in your reply the other day that FEFKA had returned your cheque and that we haven't accepted not even a rupee from you.
Lie no. 3: That you had fought with Siby Malayil and B. Unnikrishnan over the commission.
The truth: FEFKA office had called to remind you of the 10% money. You then called Siby Malayil on the phone, behaved most indecently and shouted at him. You were not willing to part with not even a rupee, though you know fully well that the union spends the money for paying a pension to jobless members and for the medical care of its members. Hence the union returned to you without any grudge the cheque you had sent with great 'agony.' And you accepted it without even giving a thought to what the union spends the money for.
Lie no.4: That FEFKA took a commission of 20% from screenplay writers Shyam Pushkaran and Dileesh Nair.
The truth: FEFKA, after a protracted effort, had obtained Rs 675,000 each for screenplay writers Shyam Pushkaran and Dileesh Nair from the producer as a other language right. Both of them donated Rs 33,750 each, i.e. five percent each, to the welfare activities of the union, happily on their own. There are many members who have helped the union with donations in similar situations. The practice of members donating to the union in the initial stage when it has a cash crunch even for daily expenses is part of trade union history itself. All other trade unions adopt this approach for the welfare of its members, and FEFKA also did, after evolving a consensus among members in a discussion.
Lie no.5: In 2009 a few people, likely linked to FEFKA, tried to disrupt the shooting of the film 'Daddy Cool' of which Abu was the assistant director.
The truth: The public as well as the cinema world considered you, Abu, as director and not the assistant director during the filming of 'Daddy Cool' when a bid was made to disrupt the shoot. Another organisation, not FEFKA, unleashed an attack at the location and blocked the work.
Lie no.6: You described south Indian cinema's strong voice of progressive ideas, actor Prakash Raj, a cheat and fraud. However, your complaint to FEFKA has no reference to him. FEFKA has never talked to Raj to sort out any issue. FEFKA communicated only with Lucsam Creations to get the money due to you. Why then do you drag Prakash Raj into this?
The truth: FEFKA yet did not keep you away despite such actions of yours. Instead, you were inducted into the union's new executive committee led by Kamal, as per a suggestion from Siby Malayil, whom you had earlier insulted. Yet you never attended the committee meetings. If you had, you would have recollected, when you raise allegations against FEFKA, some sad faces of people who wait for the union's pension every month.
What Abu had said on his Facebook page
Filmmaker Aashiq Abu earlier, in response to a letter issued by the director’s union of the Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA), clarified that he was not the target of the group which marched in protest to the sets of his debut venture Daddy Cool.
“A march led by Shri Baiju Kottarakkara reached the sets, hindering the filming, knowing that Mammookka was there. Aashiq Abu was just an assistant director then. Realising that Mammookka was their target, everyone on the set, including myself had created a protective barrier around him. Later police was called to the sets to arrange the security. Let Baiju Kottarakkara reveal the truth whether their target was me. If he says so, then I will concede that I accepted the help of FEFKA,” wrote the Mayanadhi director.
Abu had also revealed that the producer of his second movie ‘Salt n Pepper’ had refused to pay its writers and the director a share of the money that he had earned by selling its rights (for making in another language). He added that he himself and the writers of the movie Dileesh Nair and Syam Pushkaran had complained about it to the FEFKA then.
He wrote, “We reached a consensus under Sibi Malayil that the producer would pay up half of the amount prior to the release of the movie, and the rest after the movie hits the screens. The movie got released and we still had to persuade him for our payment. Finally I got half of the amount and Dileesh and Syam got almost full. But after that we would receive frequent calls from FEFKA on a daily basis demanding 20% of the amount that we had received. We waited until we were paid the entire amount. Dileesh and Syam paid 20% of the amount when their dues were cleared by the producer. But the people at FEFKA still kept forcing me to pay up the amount which I haven’t received even until now. They kept on telling that if I hadn’t received the entire amount then I should pay 20% of what I had received until then. When I got fed up with all the frequent calls, I reacted. I even argued with B Unnikrishnan and Sibi Malayail over the phone. Finally I sent to FEFKA’s office a cheque for the 20% amount I had received. But they did not accept it saying that I behaved arrogantly to them. The drift actually started there,” said Abu.
