Thanks to widespread false propaganda, the latest controversy surrounding the much-needed reforms in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep has caught the nation’s attention. From Rahul Gandhi to several celebrities from Kerala, there has been a massive concerted campaign against the governance reforms initiated by the Lakshadweep administration for the betterment of the lives of the island inhabitants.
Earlier, Gandhi-scion Rahul Gandhi spoke against such reforms by giving a “religious-cultural” angle to the reforms initiative of the Modi government while calling them ‘bigots’. However, in a big setback to the Congress party, the Kerala High Court on Friday refused to stay these reforms by categorically stating that it is a policy issue and dismissed the ‘religious and cultural’ bogey that is being aggressively peddled by Congress leaders and its ecosystem, including Rahul Gandhi.
The propaganda against reforms in Lakshadweep is not just limited to Congress and its ecosystem alone. The controversial celebrities have also jumped in to exploit the controversy for their personal gain. Malayalam actor Prithviraj Sukumaran is among many Kerala-based celebrities who have been peddling all sorts of anti-developmental agenda against Lakshadweep to gain the limelight.
Taking to Instagram on May 24, 2021, Prithiviraj Sukumaran claimed that he has been getting desperate messages from people he knew from these islands, requesting and sometimes even pleading for him to do what he can to bring public attention.
“I’m not going to go on and write an essay about the islands and why the new administrator’s “reforms” seem completely bizarre. All such material should by now be easily available online for those of you interested in reading about it,” wrote Prithviraj as he penned an essay on the ongoing controversy.
In his post, the Malayalam actor questioned the reforms that make people unhappy and said, “I strongly believe that any law, reform or amendment should never be for the land, but for the people of the land. It is never the geographical or political boundary that makes a country, state or union territory but the people who live there. How does disrupting the way of life of a centuries-old peaceful settlement become an acceptable means of progress?”
Interestingly, the actor bragged about spending a good time in Lakshadweep with the crew of one of his movies – ‘Anarkali’. In his post, he claimed that he spent a good two months in Kavarati and made memories and friends for a lifetime.
“Years later, I was part of the crew that brought film making back to the islands with Sachy’s ANARKALI. I spent a good 2 months in Kavarati and made memories and friends for a lifetime. Two years back I went back again to film what was probably the most challenging sequence of my directorial debut LUCIFER. None of these would have been possible if not for the wonderful, warm hearted people of Lakhsadweep.” he said in his post.
Further, he asked the officials to listen to the voice of the people of Lakshadweep and wrote, “So please, to whomsoever it may concern, do listen to the voice of the people of Lakshadweep, trust them to know what is better for their land. It’s one of the most beautiful places on earth, with even more beautiful people living there.”
In his hurry to discredit the reforms initiated by the centre, Prithviraj Sukumaran seems to have caught peddling fabricated stories about spending quality time with “warm-hearted people of Lakshadweep” as the film-makers of the movie ‘Anarkali’ has a different story to share altogether regarding how they had to face the wrath of the Muslims for shooting movie scenes in the Lakshadweep islands.
Muslims objected to Prithviraj-starrer ‘Anarkali’, said movie is ‘Haram’
Sachy, the director of the 2015 Prithviraj-starrer movie ‘Anarkali’, had narrated the ordeal in an interview, revealing how the administrators of Lakshadweep had to rescind the permission given to the film crew after facing resistance from Muslims.
In February 2015, Sachy had travelled to Lakshadweep with the actors and crew of the film ‘Anarkali’. Even before the crew reached the islands, Sachy got shocking news saying that island’s administrator Rajesh Prasad had withdrawn the permission to shoot scenes at the islands of Agati, Kavaratti, Bangaram, and Thinnakara.
Reportedly, the radical Islamist organisation called the Sunni Students’ Federation had protested outside the administrator’s office and submitted a petition signed by the Imam of the local mosque, stating that cinema is un‑Islamic.
“I was informed that if shooting commenced, there would be communal problems,” Sachy revealed how the administrators feared the local Muslim population.
However, the director kept calm. “If I told Prithviraj, Biju Menon, Priyal Gor, and Miya George about this problem, they would immediately set out for their next films,” said Sachy. Hence, the director kept quiet and discussed the situation with producer Rajeev Nair and production controller Roshan Chittoor.
Apparently, the team was supposed to arrive at Kavaratti the next day. However, Sachy wanted more time to get the order reversed. So he persuaded the captain to change the direction of the ship’s journey. The crew was taken to the islands of Bitra, Kiltan and other islands.
Administrator was called to Delhi, assured central forces protection against Islamic mobs
Sachy, who was facing objection from the Muslims, had to undergo extreme difficulties to obtain permission to shoot his movie. By using his contacts, Sachy informed a senior official of the Ministry of External Affairs, who asked the administrator to come to Delhi.
“If Lakshadweep is a part of India, then the film shoot will have to take place there, at all costs,” said an official to the administrator. The administrator Rajesh apprised them about the possible law-and-order situation and said that he did not have the necessary forces to control the unrest.
After taking assurance from the centre regarding the deployment of central forces, Rajesh issued the permission certificate to shoot the ‘Anarkali’ movie.
Prithviraj Sukumaran, who is busy making propaganda movies to whitewash the crimes of Jihadists in Kerala, has no idea whatsoever regarding the troubles producers had to face to shoot the movie ‘Anarkali’. Or maybe, he does and still chose to peddle false propaganda against the Modi government to exploit the ongoing controversy for his personal gains.
