Filmmaker Vinayan condemns dancer Sathyabhama's racist remarks: Kalabhavan Mani had burst into tears and told me

Senior Mohiniyattam dancer Kalamandalam Sathyabhama Junior’s recent racist remark against a fellow artist during a purported interview with a YouTube channel has sparked huge outrage in Kerala. Prominent Mohiniyattam dancer Dr. RLV Ramakrishnan alleged that Sathyabhama's remarks were directed at him. RLV Ramakrishnan is also the brother of later Malayalam actor Kalabhavan Mani, and the recent incident has caught the attention of movie buffs as well.

Filmmaker Vinayan, who shared a great rapport with the late Kalabhavan Mani, expressed his strong dissent against the racist remarks made by dancer Sathyabhama. In a note shared on Facebook, he said, “Insulting Kalabhavanmani's younger brother, RLV Ramakrishnan, in the name of color is a heinous and despicable act.” Vinayan also urged that if Sathyabhama is proud to be an artist, she should withdraw the statement and express sincere regret on the matter. He pointed out that Lord Krishna himself was a man of color. He further stressed that it was Lord Vishnu who took the form of Mohini to undertake tasks that he could not have accomplished in his original male form. And if so, what’s exactly the problem with a man of color and a male artist performing Mohini?

“So there's some other hateful aspect to this,” Vinayan said.

The director also reminisced about the time when Kalabhavan Mani told him about similar hardships he faced as an artist. He also expressed his pain at watching Mani’s brother be a victim of the same hatred.

Check out Vinayan’s note here.
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For the uninformed, it was during one of her interviews that she made racist remarks. "The person who performs Mohiniyattam should be'mohini' (enchanting). He has the color of a crow. This is an art form that requires a stance that keeps the legs wide apart. There is nothing more repulsive than a man who performs with his legs wide apart in this manner. In my opinion, men should perform Mohiniyattam only if they are that good-looking. But his looks are unbearable, even for his mother,” she said.