Gourav Menon accuses the makers of Kolumittayi of not paying his remuneration; Producer Abijith Asokan clarifies the reality

Gourav Menon, a National and State award winner has come out with severe allegations against the makers of Kolumittayi. In a recent press meet, Gourav Menon accused the makers of not paying him his remuneration.

Kolumittayi, directed by Arun Vishwam and produced by Abijith Asokan is a movie about a group of school going kids set in the 80s. Gourav Menon played the lead role in the movie.

In the press meet, he has alleged that the makers had promised to pay him after getting the satellite rights but failed to do so. He broke down emotionally while talking to the media. Eventhough Gourav Menon’s parents had approached the IG regarding the issue, they were told that their agreement does not stand legally.

The movie’s producer Abijith Asokan opened up to us about the reality. He elaborated,

“Kolumittayi was made on a very small budget. We had initially planned to make the movie with Rs 5 lakhs but had to invest more during the filming stages. When we approached Gourav during the casting, we had made it clear that it is impossible for us to pay him. His parents had agreed upon the same. Gourav was very irregular during the shooting disrupting the whole process. So we had an agreement on the dates and in that we had clearly stated that there will be no remuneration.”

“Despite that Gourav’s parents borrowed money from us many times during the shoot. Finally when the movie released, we could not get any profit from theatres. The satellite rights were also sold for a very sparse amount. Not a single person associated with this project demanded money from us. It is really unfortunate that Gourav’s parents have now called for a press meet accusing us. I still don’t have any issues with Gourav, he is a very promising actor who has a long way to go but sadly his parents are misleading him.”

Kolumittayi was a critically appreciated movie. It featured had around 30 other child actors and some seasoned actors like Saiju Kurup, Dinesh Prabhakar, Sohan Seenulal, Dr. Roney, Kalabhavan Prajod, Devi Ajith and Krishnaprabha.