A crystal-clear leftist who served the film academy well, Saji Cherian praises Premkumar

Cultural Affairs Minister Saji Cherian described actor and former Kerala Chalachitra Academy Chairman Premkumar as a “crystal-clear leftist” and lauded his contributions to the film academy.

The Minister was speaking to the media in Thrissur on Monday when asked about Mr. Premkumar’s reaction to the recent reconstitution of the academy’s executive committee. Mr. Premkumar had remarked that he came to know about the new appointments through social media.

“The government has a clear responsibility to appoint new office-bearers once a term ends. That’s what was done here. Beyond issuing the order, there’s nothing unusual. I assumed the academy officials would have informed Mr. Premkumar. I was abroad at the time,” said Mr. Cherian.

From the government’s perspective, the process was purely routine, he added. “Mr. Premkumar served three years as vice-chairman and one-and-a-half years as chairman. That’s no small contribution. If his removal were linked to any comment about the ASHA workers’ protest, it could have happened long ago,” the Minister remarked.

Calling Mr. Premkumar “a committed leftist who offered remarkable service to the academy,” Mr. Cherian said the government held him in high regard. “I spoke to him just two days ago and didn’t sense any resentment,” he added.