Join WhatsApp Channel
The promotional press conference of the Kannada film, Koragajja, was scheduled to be held at Grand Ballroom in Holiday Inn, Kochi on January 24. But it was disrupted by the sudden announcement of a press conference for a Malayalam film starring Mammootty, which was scheduled at the same time.
Invitations for the press meet had been sent to all media outlets in Kochi about a week in advance. Kabir Bedi and Bhavya Patel, a leading actress in around 100 South Indian films, had arrived in Kochi to participate in the press meet.
However, on the eve of the press meet, Mammootty’s team scheduled a competing event for the film, Chaathapach, at the same time, knowing that media representatives would not attend the Koragajja press meet as Mammootty is huge. This led to the cancelation of the Koragajja press meet.
The Koragajja team, including Karnataka Sahitya Academy award-winning director Sudheer Attavar and producer Trivikram Sapalya, expressed their disappointment and frustration, stating that this behavior is unacceptable and reflects poorly on the Malayalam film industry. They also mentioned that Kabir Bedi, who was attending the Koragajja press conference, felt insulted by the sudden announcement.
Bedi, who celebrated his 80th birthday on January 16, makes his Kannada debut with this film, playing a king from South India for the first time. “Working in a Kannada film was a great and special experience. This is the story of a tribal boy who lived 800 years ago and people worship even today. There is a temple built in his name. This story has very deep roots. I am glad that a film has been made on this story,” he had told Garhwal Post when he signed the film in 2023.
Sandip Soparkar, Shruti and Naveen Padil co-star in the film. The film’s music is by Sudhir-Krishna.
Koragajja’s press relations team received a midnight call saying that the team of the Malayalam film wanted their promotional event either postponed or cancelled. The Koragajja team was shocked when told that Mammootty’s team had decided to hold their own press conference at the same time, making it impossible for journalists to attend both. With Kabir Bedi and others already invited, and moneys spent on the venue, the food and accommodations, cancellation would cause huge losses.
Kochi is not a big city like Mumbai, Bangalore or Hyderabad, where multiple journalists can cover each media outlet’s film section. In such smaller cities, there is usually just one media representative for film and sports. So, it is common practice to avoid scheduling competing press meets or events at the same time, and PROs usually coordinate to ensure smooth promotions.
The Koragajja team feels that Mammootty’s team disregarded this norm, scheduling their event at the same time and causing their press meet to be cancelled. The team members noted they find it hard to believe that a “Padma Bhushan awardee” like Mammootty would “engage in such behavior.”
Mammootty, being a senior actor, knows that his promotions draw major media attention. His team should have checked for clashing events before scheduling their meet. Director Attavar questioned the decision to disrupt the press meet, especially since many Malayalam technicians and singers have worked on his film. Attavar also pointed out that Malayalam films get promotions in Bangalore, and the Kannada media supports them. With millions of Kannadigas watching Malayalam films, this incident might spark language-based tensions.
Bedi said, “I am a fan of Malayalam films, and the language has won around 25 percent of India’s national awards. I came to Kochi for Koragajja’s promotion out of respect for Malayalam cinema. This incident is most unfortunate.”
He added, “Maybe Mammootty wasn’t aware, but disrupting a press meet scheduled just a day in advance isn’t right. They should have checked with the media or PROs before planning their event at the same time.”
Bhavya expressed her displeasure, stating that it was unacceptable to disrespect a revered actor like Kabir Bedi, who has got national and international recognition.
Producer Trivikram Sapalya stated, “We organized promotional events across the country, including an audio launch in Mangalore that drew more than 100 journalists. We received great support everywhere, except in Kochi, where this unfortunate incident happened.”
Trivikram expressed disappointment, saying that the press meet, rescheduled to 5 pm with few media representatives, impacted Koragajja’s promotion.
