Jayan Cherthala Criticizes ‘Lalsalam’ Title for Mohanlal’s Honor Event

Jayan Cherthala, Vice President of the actors’ association ‘AMMA’, has openly criticized the decision to name the event honoring Dadasaheb Phalke Award recipient Mohanlal as ‘Malayalam Vanolam Lalsalam’. Cherthala expressed his view that the name ‘Lalsalam’ was chosen with an ‘over-smart’ intention to align the event with the principles of the Communist Party.

Cherthala made these remarks after joining ‘Samskara Sahithi’, an organization operating under the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), having previously been a local committee member of the Communist Party of India (CPI).

He further observed that contemporary Left movements in Kerala frequently feature film actors prominently on their stages. He contrasted this with past eras, suggesting that political organizations previously lacked the ‘sharp intelligence’ to strategically associate with art and artists in such a manner. Cherthala also commented on the shift in cultural perspectives in India, which he believes began around 2014 when the BJP came to power at the center. He stated that while the public can decide whether these changes are positive or negative, he personally does not align with them.