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Recently, the Malayalam film industry has been facing a series of box office failures, with the Producers’ Association attributing the trend to budget overruns, including high actor remunerations. In response, News18 Keralam, a Malayalam-language satellite news channel, hosted a prime-time debate on the issue.
During the discussion, director Vinu Kiriyath—who is not associated with the film Identity—alleged that the financial failure of a particular film was due to the lead actor’s remuneration. His main contention was that the actor used a helicopter for promotional travel, with the producer bearing the expenses. Although Kiriyath did not explicitly name Tovino Thomas or the movie Identity, the reference to the helicopter made it clear that his remarks were directed at Tovino.
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The production house associated with the film, Ragam Movies, owned by Raju Malliath, has now issued a clarification regarding the allegations made by Vinu Kiriyath. They stated that Tovino Thomas was paid only a small advance, and he willingly agreed to receive the remaining amount after the film’s release to accommodate financial constraints.
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They also clarified that the helicopter promotional strategy was neither funded nor initiated by Tovino; instead, it was conceived and financed by production partner Roy C.J. of Confident Group. Additionally, Tovino offered financial assistance to the production house and played a crucial role in securing Sree Gokulam Movies and Dream Big Films for distribution after the original distributor backed out.
Even after the film’s theatrical failure, Tovino extended further support by offering the production house a new film to help mitigate the losses incurred from this project.
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