A day after the Hema Committee report was released, actor Shammi Thilakan alleged that Minister K B Ganesh Kumar, also a veteran actor, was among those responsible for imposing an unofficial ban on his late father, actor Thilakan. Speaking to TNIE, Shammi claimed that the report referred to a well-known actor who was banned by a powerful group of 15 industry figures, asserting that this actor was his father. He further identified the president of the Association of Malayalam Television Media Artists (ATMA) mentioned in the report as Ganesh.
The report noted that a prominent actor had described this influential group within the film industry as a "mafia sangham," implying that they wielded significant control. The report indicated that despite being one of the industry's most talented actors, the individual was marginalised by the coordinated actions of 10 to 15 people, which compelled him to leave the film industry and turn to television serials. However, even in the television sector, he was reportedly unable to escape the reach of this powerful lobby. At that time, the president of ATMA was also a film actor, the report stated.
Shammi claimed that Ganesh, as ATMA president since its inception, supported the group of 15 in their efforts to ban Thilakan from both films and serials. He recounted an incident during a meeting of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), where a prominent actor allegedly insulted Thilakan and demanded that he leave the meeting. This same actor later visited Thilakan in hospital when he was critically ill and expressed that Thilakan was like a father figure to him, Shammi added.
Shammi pointed out that Thilakan was ultimately expelled from AMMA. Following his father's death in 2018, Shammi brought up the issue of Thilakan's defamation during an AMMA executive meeting. He recalled that the then-president, actor Mohanlal, proposed the formation of a committee to address the matter and ensure justice for Thilakan. There was also a suggestion that AMMA should issue an apology to Thilakan, but Shammi urged the creation of a committee to investigate the issue further. However, no action was taken, and a senior actor later informed him that apologising to Thilakan would harm their image, he added.
Shammi also questioned director Vinayan’s alleged silence on the "power group," despite Vinayan’s assertions that he knew the names of those involved. He highlighted that Vinayan had leveraged the ban on Thilakan in his legal battle and secured a victory in the Supreme Court, yet had not disclosed the identities of those responsible.