Businessman and producer Murali Kunnumpurath, who came to public attention through Vellam starring Jayasurya, has gone viral on social media after sharing an emotional video in which he spoke about severe financial troubles, alleged betrayals in business and cinema, and the collapse of his personal life. The video, which Murali later removed himself, showed him in tears as he claimed losses of around ₹9 crore across multiple ventures, including films such as Nadhikalil Sundari Yamuna and Sumathi Valavu.
Murali began by addressing the perception many people have of him because of Vellam, a film widely linked to his life. He said, “Many people may have seen the film Vellam. What was shown in that film was for the cinema; it is not my real life. I am just an ordinary person.” He added that he was now in a stage where life had reached a dead end, and that was why he chose to speak publicly through the video.
Before entering the cinema, Murali said he had already suffered major setbacks in business. According to him, he exported tiles to Dubai, Australia and Africa, but substantial amounts remained unpaid through associates there. He said trusting people had cost him heavily and that he still owed large sums to companies.
He then moved on to his experience as a producer and specifically referred to Nadhikalil Sundari Yamuna. Naming Unni Vellora and Vijesh Panathur, debutant directors at the time, Murali alleged that they had approached him with false claims about their experience in cinema. He said, “They came to me after telling lies. They said they were assistant directors and many other things.” He further claimed that only later did he realise they had no real knowledge of filmmaking and were not assistant directors at all. According to Murali, producing the film resulted in a loss of around ₹2 crore.
Murali then spoke about the 2025 horror comedy Sumathi Valavu, directed by Vishnu Sasi Shankar and written by Abhilash Pillai, which was reportedly a commercial success that even paved the way for announcing a sequel. The film was co-produced by Murali alongside Gokulam Gopalan of Sree Gokulam Movies, though Murali did not mention him in the video. He said the project caused the biggest blow to his finances, claiming losses of nearly ₹7 crore. “Everyone thinks the film is a great success. But today my life has slipped away from me,” he said. He went on to level direct accusations against those associated with the film, saying, “Abhilash Pillai, Vishnu… never trust them. Vishnu doesn’t even know direction. Everyone should know this truth. They all cheated me together. They ruined my good life.”
Murali also named Unni Vellora and Vijesh Panathur again while claiming that several people connected to his film ventures had collectively destroyed his life. He said they were now living happily with their families, while he had been left drowning in debt and despair. Repeatedly breaking down in the video, he said he could no longer hold on, adding that existing debts had only worsened after these projects. He also expressed pain over his family situation, saying he had not lived enough with his wife and children and did not wish to leave them.
Towards the end of the clip, Murali apologised to those who may have suffered because of him and issued a warning against alcohol, saying it had contributed to his downfall. “Forgive me, everyone. Because of me, many people have suffered. None of you should ever drink. This is what my life has come to. Sorry, friends,” he said.
As of now, there has been no public response from Vishnu Sasi Shankar, Abhilash Pillai, Unni Vellora or Vijesh Panathur regarding Murali’s allegations.
