Prithviraj starrer ‘Kaduva’ finally hit the screens, after a long drawn legal tussle with a Pala native whose life is said to have inspired the film. Now, his grandson has come out alleging that the makers have brazenly twisted and turned the events in his grandfather's life in the film. After watching the film, the grandson has posted a note on social media, criticising the movie’s director Shaji Kailas and lead actor Prithviraj.
Excerpts from the post:
“The incidents that had happened in the life of my grandfather are now ‘running’ successfully in the theatres as Prithviraj’s Kaduva (name changed to Kuriachan in the film). As they claim, the story of Kaduva was not born in the imagination of screenwriter Jinu Abraham. The older generation of Pala already knows this story. My grandfather’s efforts to prove that the movie has been taken from the incidents that had happened in life has been unsuccessful. Today, due to old age, he is too weak to continue this war.
I watched the movie yesterday. I was shocked how the director, screenwriter and everyone else who is associated with the movie had shamelessly altered the inexplicable cruelty that my family had suffered at the hands of a police officer (Joseph Chandy in the film). This brutal ‘war’ had begun when my mother was studying in class seven and my uncle was in kindergarten.
The row that began about a keyboard that he had gifted to the church, soon escalated into personal rivalry. The police officer had vandalised my grandfather’s bar, many a times and destroyed our orchards too. Moreover, he purchased the land behind our house and turned it into a graveyard. He sent goons to attack my grandfather in broad daylight and even revoked his gun licence without any warning. Moreover, he threw my grandfather in jail. More than fifty percent of the movie is about my grandfather’s life. Besides, they have added some masala stories and drama tropes to make the movie entertaining. Despite all these, the makers claim that the movie isn’t related to my grandfather’s life.
We have uploaded a series with just 12 episodes on Youtube for those who are interested in knowing the truth. All my grandfather wished was that the makers acknowledge that the movie’s screenplay is based on his life. Instead, Shaji Kailas and all the big stars in the movie were busy making statements in the interviews that such a person does not exist on this planet.
I am angry and disappointed that Malayalam cinema gains money and fame through untrue stories by exploiting helpless people. My grandfather is not the first person who was exploited like this. Prithviraj, I am ashamed of you.”