Ever since the Prithviraj-starrer 'Kaduva' was released, it was criticised for one of its dialogues on the birth of differently-abled children. In one of its scenes, Prithviraj's character says that such children's birth are a result of their parents' sins. Many on social media, especially parents, have been pointing out how the makers should have avoided it and now, they have come out with an apology.
The film's director Shaji Kailas wrote on his social media page that he expresses unconditional apology over the derogatory remarks and requests viewers to consider it a mistake and forgive them. He says, “When the screenwriter Jinu penned it, or when I directed it or when Prithviraj acted it, we did not think about the other aspects of those words. All we thought of was showing the extent of the villain's cruelty. We have often heard such remarks from time to time, including in the Bible. Our intention was not to hurt the parents of differently-abled children. My apology might not undo the hurt we have caused, but I would still like to express it.”
Sharing Shaji's post, Prithviraj wrote on his page, “ Sorry. It was a mistake. We acknowledge and accept it.”
The State Commission for Persons with Disabilities had also issued notices to Shaji Kailas and producers Supriya Menon and Listin Stephen on Saturday, based on a complaint filed by 'Parivaar', an association of parents of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
