Shweta MenonThrissur: The shooting of a Malayalam movie starring Shweta Menon inside the high-security prison at Viyyur, which houses those convicted of terrorist and anti-national activities, has landed the Prisons Department in a soup.
It is alleged that the jail authorities remained mute spectators when the crew altered the shape of the prison walls and painted them in vibrant colors in violation of guidelines.
The incident was brought to the notice of the Home Secretary who has sought an explanation from the jail superintendent.
According to the superintendent, permission was granted only to conduct shooting on the jail premises, and he was unaware of the grand set being erected by the cinema unit.
Jail authorities clarified that the film crew had obtained permission from them to shoot outside the high-security blocks. "The permission was given with several of conditions to prevent them from shooting inside the jail or filming the inmates. They were also instructed not to cause any kind of damage to the structures," said an official.
However, during the 15-day-long shoot of the film titled Naval Enna Jewel, in which Shewta plays a man, the unit erected a huge set inside the jail complex and filmed several scenes. Since the three-storeyed building is equipped with modern surveillance and security facilities, it is not clear how all these activities took place without the knowledge of jail officials.
Shweta Menon in the movie and poster of the movie ‘Naval Enna Jewel’The high-security prison, claimed to be one of the biggest in the country, was inaugurated about four months ago. The jail, situated on 9.5 acres of land in the Viyyur Central Prison compound, was built following demands for a separate jail to house terrorists and those who engaged in anti-national activities, due to security reasons.
During the inauguration of the facility, mediapersons were not allowed to carry cameras inside.
It is evident that the shooting was in gross violation of laws and the jail officials, including the superintendent, could face action for the security breach.
It is learnt that the superintendent submitted a detailed report on the alleged incident to the Home Secretary on Monday. The Prisons Department is likely to examine the scenes that were allegedly shot inside the jail complex before initiating action against the erring officials.
