Doha: In a disappointing turn of events, the highly anticipated annual event ‘Mollywood Magic’ was cancelled at the last minute, leaving fans crestfallen and bewildered.
The show, scheduled to be held in Doha on Thursday under the auspices of the Producers' Association, the association of Malayalam film producers, was cancelled abruptly. The announcement came just before nearly 100 actors, including megastars Mammootty and Mohanlal, were scheduled to set out for the stadium after arriving on Thursday under the leadership of the association of Malayalam actors, AMMA, and completing the rehearsals.
Though the stage and sound system were arranged, the gate was not opened as the rent of the stadium was not paid in full. The police arrived and dispersed the spectators.
Disputes over money transactions led to the disruption of the function organized to raise funds for the association, sources said. Event management company '91' announced on social media that the event had been cancelled due to technical reasons and those who had bought tickets will be refunded the money.
A long list of actors including Prithviraj, Dileep, Jayaram, Kunchacko Boban, Biju Menon, Vineeth Sreenivasan, Arjun Ashokan, Indrajith, Nikhila Vimal, Honey Rose, Mallika Sukumaran, Shweta Menon, Ramesh Pisharody, Kalabhavan Shajon and Dharmajan Bolgatty spent days rehearsing for the show.
Nadirshah, Edavela Babu, and Ranjith were the directors of the show. A move had been made to hold the same event last November, but permission was not granted in the wake of the Palestinian conflict.
Film Producers' Association President Anto Joseph said the show was called off due to unavoidable reasons in an unexpected situation. Many of the producers are staying back in Doha.
