In the midst of the debate over Mohanlal’s Sabarimala Puja for Mammootty, Javed Akhtar has stepped forward to support them. Recently, the lyricist expressed his frustration on his X (formerly Twitter) account, targeting those criticizing Mohanlal and Mammooty. He referred to trolls as “narrow-minded” and described the friendship between the two actors as “great”.
“I wish every Mamooty of India had a friend like Mohan Lal and every Mohan Lal had a friend like Mamooty. It is obvious that their great friendship is beyond the understanding of some Small, narrow-minded, petty and negative people but who cares,” Javed Akhtar wrote.
The Controversy
The controversy started on March 18, when Mohanlal went to Sabarimala temple in Kerala prior to the launch of his Prithviraj Sukumaran-directed film L2: Empuraan. After Mohanlal’s visit, a puja offering receipt featuring Mammootty’s birth name, Muhammed Kutty, along with his birth star ‘Visakham’ became popular on social media. The Devaswom office provided the receipt, suggesting that Mohanlal had conducted the ritual for Mammootty.
Once the receipt gained popularity on social media, many celebrated it as a display of community unity. Nonetheless, some opposed it. O Abdullah, an influencer and the ex-editor of the ‘Madhyamam’ newspaper, in an audio message shared on social media stated that Mammootty ought to apologize if he requested Mohanlal to pray on his behalf.
Subsequently, Mohanlal addressed the dispute and mentioned that Mammootty feels like a brother to him. “What’s inappropriate about praying for him?” He is faring well. He experienced a slight health problem, but that’s typical for everyone. “There’s no reason for concern,” he stated.
