The controversy surrounding actor Biju Menon’s alleged failure to participate in film promotions has intensified, following detailed remarks by producer-filmmaker Anoop Kannan regarding the release of Nadanna Sambhavam. His statements come in the wake of public comments made by filmmaker and FEFKA general secretary B Unnikrishnan, who accused the actor of breaching contractual promotional obligations, allegedly resulting in financial losses for a producer.
In an interview with Manorama Online, Anoop said coordinating promotions with Biju Menon and his team was extremely difficult despite a clear contract. He claimed the actor’s total promotional participation amounted to only two and a half hours, which he said was inadequate for a film of that scale. “When discussions about promotional activities related to the film’s release were held with Biju chettan, his response reflected a rather indifferent attitude,” Anoop said.
The producer claimed that Nadanna Sambhavam had completed the pre-release business, including OTT and satellite rights. An important aspect of the pre-release business was that the key cast of the film would participate in the promotional events surrounding the release of the film. Anoop claimed that this had been communicated to Biju Menon and Suraj Venjaramoodu from the very beginning.
Notably, the standard contracts specify that the producer has the right to expect the participation of the actors in promotional activities for up to ten days; however, the current practices limit it to only one or two days. Still, the actor’s contribution had fallen far below these standards, as explained by Anoop, stating, “What can realistically be achieved in terms of promotion, when the actor actually shows up for only two and a half hours in total?”
Anoop also said that though Biju Menon had been totally absent, Suraj Venjaramoodu had cooperated for his part to the best of his ability and had participated in the promotional activities he could. “Participating in promotions is not an act of goodwill that the actors extend to us. It is a contractual obligation tied to the remuneration they demand.”
He also claimed repeated attempts to contact the Ayyappanum Koshiyum actor and his manager went unanswered, prompting him to file a complaint with the Producers’ Association. While he was initially assured that the matter would be resolved before the release of Biju Menon’s latest film Valathu Vashathe Kallan, no resolution has been reached so far.
Anoop expressed support for the statements made by Unnikrishnan, calling them factual and impartial, and praised him for addressing the issue publicly. He added that when personal relationships exist, there is often reluctance to strictly enforce contractual clauses, which can ultimately disadvantage producers.
Highlighting the broader implications, Anoop said star value plays a decisive role in a film’s opening, and that producers agree to high remuneration precisely because actors are expected to draw audiences and support promotions. “A producer invests money with business objectives in mind. Being forced to plead repeatedly for basic contractual cooperation is deeply distressing and erodes mutual respect,” he said.
Clarifying that such issues do not arise in every project, Anoop cited his first production venture Oru Mexican Aparatha, a political drama headlined by Tovino Thomas, as an example of a film that benefited from strong promotional backing by its cast. He concluded by stating that his grievance is not personal.
Biju Menon has not yet issued a public response to the allegations.