Aami and Carbon put Kerala Chalachitra Academy in a difficult position

The Kerala Chalachitra Academy has been trapped as it begins the process of identifying the best of Malayalam cinema in 2018 in different categories for the upcoming 49th State Film Awards. Producers Aami and Carbon submitted their respective films to the contest, which placed the Academy in a bureaucratic dilemma.

The Academy is divided on whether Aami and Carbon should be considered as prizes, given that the first was directed by Kamal, the current president of the Academy and the second is edited by Beena Paul, the vice-president.

Some officials believe that Aami and Carbon should be removed from the competition due to conflicts of interest. And the other half is in agreement to disagree. Beena Paul told indianexpress.com, "I only knew this problem now. I do not know the full extent of it. I do not know what the producers' position is. I just played a small role in editing this film. There are many people who have worked both in front of and behind the camera. "

Aami, directed by Kamal, is based on the popular poet Kamala Das. The biopic starring Manju Warrier opened to a mixed response from critics. For its part, Carbon, an adventure thriller written and directed by Venu and edited by Beena Paul, has opened its doors to rave reviews. It stars Fahadh Faasil and Mamta Mohandas in the lead roles. Some of the best Indian film technicians worked on this film, including Bollywood director Vishal Bhardwaj, who composed the music and the director of photography, K. U. Mohanan.

According to the standard, members of the executive committee will not be considered for prizes. However, other members of the film crew of which they were a part can still participate in the competition.

In the meantime, only producers can submit and withdraw their films in the contest. Actors, directors or editors of a film can not make that decision. The Academy may be liable to prosecution of producers if it unilaterally decides to remove certain films from the race.

According to reports, the government is trying to contain the problem of the snowball in a major controversy as the elections approach.

The Academy has received more than 100 films in different categories of competitions.