Nivin Pauly addresses #MeToo case of Padavettu director: ‘Issue of a couple of people shouldn’t affect a film’

Nivin Pauly’s Padavettu has been riddled with hurdles since the movie went on floors before the pandemic. The movie, which had the actor putting on considerable weight to play the role, was first halted due to the lockdown and then had a start-and-stop schedule due to the pandemic restrictions. The final hurdle came with the movie’s director Liju Krishna being arrested on the sets of the film earlier this year after being accused of sexually assaulting a woman.

The film’s release date, which was initially announced as March 2021, too have been deferred multiple times. Padavettu’s lead actor Nivin addressed the #MeToo scandal involving its director in a recent interview.

The actor said that it’s a personal matter that is currently before the court, in an interview with Kochi Times. “A film is the combined work of a lot of people, so I don’t think that the issue of a couple of people should affect a project,” said the actor.

Nivin also stated that it is an issue revolving around “the consent and relationship between two people” that he has no information about and hence isn’t a position to a comment about it.

Despite Liju being arrested just before the movie was set to wrap up its principal photography, the team went ahead with the shoot, with the film’s associate directors taking up the mantle and completing the work.

Padavettu is currently gearing up for an October 21 release. The socio-political drama, which also has Aditi Balan and Indrans, is touted to be the struggle of common people and the oppressed to reclaim what is rightfully theirs.

Meanwhile, Nivin’s next release will be Rosshan Andrrews’ entertainer Saturday Night, which also has Aju Varghese, Siju Wilson and Saiju Kurup in pivotal roles. The movie is set to hit theatres by the end of September.