The trailer for the upcoming Malayalam anthology series Manorathangal was launched in Kochi on Monday. During the event, all cast and crew members were presented with mementos, and actor Asif Ali was tasked with honouring composer Ramesh Narayan. In the videos widely circulated on social media, Ramesh Narayan is initially seen refusing to accept the memento from Asif. After reluctantly taking it from the actor, he called director Jayaraj, from whom he accepted the memento. This alleged act of snubbing Asif has sparked widespread criticism against Ramesh on social media.
Responding to the criticisms, Ramesh explained the chain of events by stating, "After the trailer launch, everyone who collaborated on the project was invited on stage and honoured, except me. I was disappointed because I composed music for Jayaraj's film, Swargam Thurakkunna Samayam, in the anthology. It hurt me more that even the director didn't invite me to the stage. I expressed my displeasure to Aswathy (V Nair), who apologised and quickly arranged a memento for me. Also, at that moment, my name was announced as Santhosh Narayanan. When Asif approached me with the memento, I wasn't sure if I was supposed to honour him or vice versa. He quickly handed it to me and left without conveying any wishes. It was only after that I called Jayaraj."
Refuting allegations about snubbing Asif, the composer said, "Although I didn't notice Asif, I never intended to insult or discriminate against him. If the public thinks that I have, I am ready to apologise. Asif is one of the actors who is very dear to me. I'll be calling him, and if there's a mistake on my part, I will apologise. Even Jayaraj had sent me a message apologising for the whole incident. It's just a memento and not an award to insist that a particular person must give it, right? I'm disheartened by all the cyberattacks without realising what actually happened."
Manorathangal features adaptations of nine short stories by MT Vasudevan Nair, directed by seasoned filmmakers like Priyadarshan, Ranjith, Shyamaprasad, Jayaraj, Mahesh Narayanan, Santosh Sivan, Rathish Ambat, and the writer's daughter Aswathy V Nair in her directorial debut. Its star-studded cast includes Mammootty, Mohanlal, Kamal Haasan, Fahadh Faasil, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Asif Ali, Biju Menon, Indrajith Sukumaran, Aparna Balamurali, Nadiya Moidu, Narain, Shanthi Krishna, Madhoo, Indrans, Siddique, Renji Panicker, and Surabhi Lakshmi, among others. The late actors Mamukkoya and Nedumudi Venu are also part of it.
Manorathangal will be streaming on Zee5 from August 15 with dubbed versions in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Hindi.