By: Entertainment DeskKochi | October 8, 2025 07:00 PM IST 4 min readVeteran filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan; (right) Mohanlal with Baiju Santhosh in the 1982 movie Kelkkaatha Sabdham. (Credit: IMDb, Facebook/@baijusanthoshh)Despite the passage of a few days since the Kerala government’s “Malayalam Vaanolam, Lal Salaam” event, organised to felicitate Malayalam superstar Mohanlal for winning the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the controversy that erupted during it, due to certain remarks made by veteran filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan, has yet to subside. It may be recalled that many had felt Adoor unnecessarily disparaged Mohanlal in a veiled manner during his address. Meanwhile, renowned actor Baiju Santhosh recently tore into the filmmaker for a purportedly disrespectful comment he once made about the superstar.Reacting to a clip featuring one of Adoor’s old remarks regarding Mohanlal and the latter’s response to the filmmaker’s speech at the government event, Baiju commented on social media, “Ingharude padathil abinaikathath kond mohanlal superstar ayi (Mohanlal became a superstar because he never acted in his films).”Also Read | Ranjini Jose speaks out on dating rumours with Vijay Yesudas, speculation about relationship with Ranjini Haridas: ‘One day, I woke up and saw a thumbnail…’During an interview, Adoor was asked why he had never made a movie with Mohanlal to date. In response, he said, “Mohanlal has a strong image, that of a good-hearted rowdy. I cannot make a film with that. I do not believe in the concept of a ‘good rowdy.’ A rowdy is a rowdy. How can a rowdy be good?”At the “Malayalam Vaanolam, Lal Salaam” event, Adoor — the only other Malayali film personality besides Mohanlal to have won the Dadasaheb Phalke Award — remarked that no similar ceremony had been organised to felicitate him when he was conferred with the honour over two decades ago. “There were no celebrations or expressions of public appreciation like this when I received the award twenty years ago. Today, the Honourable Chief Minister and the government have taken a special interest in recognising Mohanlal, and I share in your joy and pride,” Mathrubhumi quoted him as saying.Although Mohanlal is known for his ability to dodge such arrows that come his way, many claimed that his acceptance speech contained a fitting reply to Adoor. “[This is] the first time Adoor sir spoke about me… or no, maybe he has spoken about me at many gatherings. To him, I express my deepest thanks from the bottom of my heart,” the superstar said, which has since been dubbed by his fans as a sarcastic jibe at the filmmaker for attacking him frequently. While Mohanlal won the Dadasaheb Phalke Award at the 71st National Film Awards, Adoor was conferred with it at the 52nd edition of the event.In the subsequent part of his address at the event, Adoor had also said, “I’ve not yet had the opportunity to work with Mohanlal, unfortunately. But I have always deeply respected and admired his talent. It was under my chairmanship that Mohanlal received his first National Award (at the 39th edition when he bagged the Best Actor trophy for his performance in Bharatham). That’s where his journey of national recognition began, and I take immense pride and happiness in that.” He added, “Every Malayali has seen a reflection of themselves in Mohanlal. That’s why, wherever Malayalis live, he has become beloved by all. I wish him continued success and a long, enduring career in cinema.”Click here to follow Screen Digital on YouTube and stay updated with the latest from the world of cinema.© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd