More trouble for Sivans

Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 29 (IANS) Southern filmmaker Sivan has been chosen as jury member to select the films for the Indian Panorama section in which two films of his two sons are competing -- and many are unhappy with this.

Santosh Sivan starrer 'Makaramanju' and Sangeeth Sivan's Hindi film 'Click' are among the 141 films entered for the Panorama section and the jury has to shortlist 21 out of them.

Ace director Renjith, whose 'Pranchiettan And The Saint' starring superstar Mammootty is doing roaring business at the box office, asked isn't this father-son business turning murky?

'Since the father is there, his son's film will come through and this is going to be a blot for the director, isn'it? This business of father-son should end and this does not augur well for the industry as a whole,' said Renjith.

A director, speaking on condition of anonymity, observed that this father-son duo business has been going on for long.

'In the early 2000, actor Amol Palekar showed real character when he quit the post of the jury chairman while selecting the national awards simply because he played a guest role in a Marathi film which was vying for honours,' said the director who feels that Sivan and company is not doing the right thing.

Malayalam film personality Madhu, however, defended Sivan.

'Look, father and son are two individuals and there is nothing wrong if either of them sits in the jury to select films,' he said.

Award winning director Harikumar, whose statement that Sivan's son's film 'Kesu' won the National Award because of his gratitude, evoked strong criticism from the Sivans.

So he refused to comment on the recent development, saying: 'If I say something, it would be seen as an extension of the tug of war between us.'

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Makaramanju