Kaduva: Prithviraj Sukumaran apologises for the ‘insensitive’ scene where he blamed parents for the disabilities of their kids

Recently released Malayalam film Kaduva (2022) starring Prithviraj Sukumaran, has landed in intense controversy ever since its release because of how it portrays parents of children with disabilities. The movie's references to this have received a lot of criticism for their insensitive portrayal from both the general audience and parents of children with disabilities.

The Jana Gana Mana (2022) responded to the criticism by admitting his mistake and issuing an apology. Additionally, it has been reported that the scene has been removed from the film. Sharing the apology letter from director Shaji Kailas on Instagram, he wrote, “Sorry. It was a mistake. We acknowledge and accept it (folded hands-emoticon).”

A thorough justification and apology for the scene Shaji Kailas made on Facebook were also posted by Sukumaran on his social media platforms. Shaji apologised in his article for hurting the parents of disabled children and extended an "unconditional" apology. The filmmaker wrote in Malayalam, “I request you to consider it as a mistake on our part and forgive us. The fact is that screenwriter Jinu who wrote the scene, or I who directed the sequence or Prithviraj who acted in the scene did not think about the other aspects of the dialogue when we were shooting it. We were only thinking about conveying the extent of the villain's cruelty to the audience.”

On Thursday, July 7, Kaduva was released in cinemas all around the world.