The year-long feud between producer-actor Sandra Thomas and the Kerala Film Producers Association (KFPA) has taken another dramatic turn, with Sandra issuing a strongly worded public response to director Major Ravi’s recent retraction of his support for her. In an interview published on Manorama Online, the Keerthichakra director said he had initially spoken in Sandra’s favour over the rejection of her nominations for KFPA’s president and treasurer posts without knowing the full facts. He claimed that after being contacted by the association’s office-bearers, he realised his mistake and felt guilty for speaking against producers Suresh Kumar and B Rakesh.
Sandra’s nomination was rejected after the Returning Officer ruled that she had not submitted the three individual censor certificates required under KFPA rules, a claim she disputes. The rejection came against the backdrop of a heated exchange between Sandra and Suresh Kumar, following which Ravi had publicly criticised the KFPA leadership. In her social media post responding to the interview, Sandra accused the filmmaker of changing his position under external influence. She challenged him to deny a series of remarks she claims he made to her over the phone before his retraction.
“I never called him to seek his support. It was he who called me regarding the Producers’ Association elections,” Sandra wrote. She stated that Major Ravi had described Suresh Kumar, who has led the association for years, as a man with no principles, and asked whether this could be denied. She went on to allege that Ravi told her Suresh’s son-in-law, also in the film industry, finances films not with his own money but by deceiving women and using their funds. Sandra further claimed that he recounted lending Suresh money to complete the production of Mammootty's Megham or Dileep's Vettam when funds had run out during shoots in Mettupalayam.
According to Sandra, Ravi also advised her to be fully informed before taking on the KFPA leadership because “they are extremely cunning”. She said she had more to reveal but was refraining for now, adding that the words he spoke keep echoing in her ears. “If what I have stated is false, I challenge Major to take legal action against me. A person may fall in stature, but one should not sink in morality,” she wrote. Addressing Suresh directly, she said he should not take offence at her post, as she was only quoting some of what Ravi allegedly told her. “If he now claims he never said these things, I will produce concrete proof.”
This marks the latest escalation in a dispute that has seen Sandra clash with the KFPA over transparency, gender bias and alleged irregularities in its functioning. Her legal challenge against the rejection of her nomination is ongoing, with the KFPA elections scheduled for August 14.
