The promotional press conference of the Kannada film “Koragajja” was scheduled to be held at Grand Ball Room in Holiday Inn, Kochi on January 24th, 8pm onwards followed by gran Dinner meet. But was allegedly disrupted by the sudden announcement of a press conference for some Malayalam film starring Mammootty, which was scheduled at the same time. Invitations for the press meet were sent to all media outlets in Kochi through the PRO about a week in advance. Kabir Bedi and Dr. Bhavya, a leading actress in around 100 South Indian films as lead, had arrived in Kochi to participate in the press meet. However, on the eve of the press meet, Mammootty’s team scheduled a competing event for the film, ‘Chaathapach’, at the same time, knowing that media representatives would not attend the “Koragajja” press meet rather they attend Mammootty’s event. This led to the cancellation of the Koragajja press meet, insulting Kabir Bedi and others.
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Join Telegram ChannelThe Koragajja team, including director Sudheer Attavar and producer Trivikram Sapalya, expressed their disappointment and frustration, stating that this behavior is unacceptable and reflects poorly on the Malayalam film industry. They also mentioned that international actor Kabir Bedi, who was attending the Koragajja press conference, felt insulted by the sudden announcement.
The Koragajja film team’s PR received a midnight call saying that this malayalam film of Mammootty team wanted the “Koragajja” film promotional event cancelled or postponed. The Koragajja team was shocked, having spent lakhs on the event. They were told Mammootty’s team decided to hold their own press conference at the same time, making it impossible for journalists to attend. With Kabir Bedi and others already invited, and lakhs spent on venue, grand dinner and accommodations, cancellation would cause huge losses. The Koragajja team felt helpless due to Mammootty’s influence.
Kochi isn’t a big city like Mumbai, Bangalore, or Hyderabad, where multiple journalists cover each media outlet’s film section. In smaller cities like Kochi, there’s usually one media representative for film and sports. So, it’s common practice to avoid scheduling competing press meets or events at the same time, and PROs usually coordinate to ensure smooth promotions.
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The Koragajja team feels Mammootty’s team disregarded this norm, scheduling their event at the same time and causing their press meet to be cancelled. They find it hard to believe that a Padma Bhushan awardee like Mammootty would engage in such behaviour, prioritizing their promotion over others
Mammootty, being a senior actor, knows that his promotions draw major media attention. So, it’s only fair that his team checks for conflicting events before scheduling. Sudhir Attavar, the director, questions the decision to disrupt Koragajja’s press meet, especially since many Malayalam technicians and singers worked on the film.Attavar also points out that Malayalam films get promotions in Bangalore, and the Kannada media supports them. With millions of Kannadigas watching Malayalam films, this incident might spark language-based tensions.
Kabir Bedi said, “I’m a fan of Malayalam films, and the language has won around 25% of India’s national awards. I came to Kochi for Koragajja’s promotion out of respect for Malayalam cinema. This incident is most unfortunate.”He added, “Maybe Mammootty wasn’t aware, but disrupting a press meet scheduled just a day in advance isn’t right. They should’ve checked with the media or PROs before planning their event at the same time.”
The incident was an insult to Kabir Bedi, an internationally acclaimed actor who attended Koragajja’s press meet. Mammootty’s team had no right to disrupt the event, especially since invitations were sent to Malayalam media a week in advance.Senior actress Bhavya expressed her displeasure, stating that it’s unacceptable to disrespect a revered actor like Kabir Bedi, who has national and international recognition.
Producer Trivikram Sapalya said, “We organized promotional events across the
country, including an audio launch in Mangalore that drew 100+ journalists. We received great support everywhere, except in Kochi, Kerala, where this unfortunate incident happened. Trivikram expressed disappointment, saying the press meet, rescheduled to 5 pm with few media representatives, impacted Koragajja’s promotion. Many condemned the incident, calling it unfortunate that Kabir Bedi, an internationally acclaimed actor, was disrespected by Mammootty’s ‘malayalam film‘ team.
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Many have expressed dismay, calling it unfortunate that Kabir Bedi, an internationally acclaimed actor, was disrespected by Mammootty’s recent malayalam film
