Mohanlal’s upcoming political action film Empuraan is undoubtedly one of the most anticipated films of 2025. The film recently made headlines but for the wrong reasons, following a statement by Kerala Film Producers Association (KFPA) Vice President, Suresh Kumar, revealed that the film has surpassed a budget of 140 crores, without including the actors’ fees. 

The statement from Suresh Kumar came amidst a press meet, where he mentioned that the Malayalam Film Industry would face a total shutdown from June 1st, as a protest against the exorbitantly high remuneration demanded by actors. Furthermore, the veteran producer also demanded that GST be withdrawn from the industry along with the entertainment tax. 

In the latest turn of events, Antony Perumbavoor, who is the producer of the Mohanlal starrer, took to social media to respond to Suresh Kumar’s announcements. Perumbavoor mentioned that he decided to share the post publicly as a direct response to his colleague’s statements which were also made publicly. 

Perumbavoor, in his post, questioned Suresh Kumar’s authority in announcing a shutdown and mentioned that the KFPA had not come to a general consensus regarding the announcement. The Lucifer producer further mentioned that such a shutdown will affect the livelihood of the hundreds of people working in the film industry and by extension thousands of families. 

Furthermore, in his strongly-worded post, Antony Perumbavoor also mentioned that he could not understand why Suresh Kumar would talk about the budget of his upcoming film Empuraan, especially considering that the film is still in its post-production stage. The producer also questioned his colleague’s intentions, saying he is unsure whether Suresh Kumar had the press meet to improve the industry or to shame it.

Antony Perumbavoor also mentioned that if there was general consensus in the KFPA, it would be president Anto Joseph who would make the announcement publicly.

Check out Antony Perumbavoor’s post below:

Several celebrities including Prithviraj Sukumaran, Aju Varghese, Tovino Thomas, and more quickly came out in favor of Antony Perumbavoor’s statements. On the other hand, KFPA Secretary B. Rakesh, as well as producer Siyad Koker came out in support of Suresh Kumar, saying that the veteran producer had voiced out the decision of the Association. Koker also reprimanded Perumbavoor for not voicing his concerns during the KFPA meeting.