Actor Shane Nigam meets Minister

Presents his side of story

Actor Shane Nigam, who has found himself in the midst of a row after falling out with producer Joby George, met the Minister for Cultural Affairs and Cinema A. K. Balan here on Monday and presented his side of the story.

Mr. Balan told reporters after his meeting with the actor that the government was not interested in taking sides in the issue. He said the matter could be easily handled with by the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA). Mr. Nigam had told him that the ban was slapped on him without his side being heard, he said.

Mr. Nigam, talking to reporters on the sidelines of the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) here, hit out at film producers. He said he was unsure whether the producers were suffering from anguish or mental illness. But he was confident that AMMA would support him, he said. “Is it not my organisation? I am sure it will support me.”

‘Talks an eyewash’

The compromise talks were an eyewash, he said. “We are made to sit there. But our side is never heard. They will go on like a radio and we are expected to obey. This time, I had a problem not with the producer, but with the director and cameraman,” he alleged.

During his meeting with the Minister on Monday, Mr. Nigam also handed him a copy of the contract which he claimed to have signed with the producers of the film Veyil. The Minister also urged everyone involved to settle the issue amicably.