Director-actor Lal's comments about Jagathy Sreekumar's improvisation, particularly in comedic roles, have been getting plenty of criticism. In a recent interview with Saina South Plus, Lal said that it is not right to encourage actors spontaneously going off script and coming up with their own lines on a regularly basis, using Jagathy as an example of one such actor who does this. The actor, who stars in Kerala Crime Files season 2, emphasised how this practice 'hurts' the scene and the other actors on set. "It makes everyone else look bad, while the actor who does it takes in all the plaudits," said Lal, who also pointed out that the fault also lies with the directors and the public for making it look like an ability.
"If such improvisation happens, the director must say 'you should have told us about it' or complement the actor for it or edit it out. It is not right to portray it as a great piece of skill, regardless of which great actor does this."
Pointing out how the practice puts others in peril, Lal said, "Perhaps my dialogue starts from where the other artist ended, connecting the two, but it becomes difficult to deliver it when you lose that connection. We might somehow manage to do the scene, but it is still a case of scraping through. In which case, we lose, but the other actor wins."
Lal's contentious comment comes not long after actor Jagadish praised Jagathy's improvisation skills, citing a scene from the latter's film Hello My Dear Wrong Number with filmmaker Priyadarshan.