Mammooty caught in Coke controversy

By Sanu George, Indo-Asian News Service

Thiruvananthapuram, Mar 23 (IANS): It is a cold drink controversy that is getting hotter by the day, and caught in the crossfire is Malayalam superstar Mammooty.

Various organisations are up in arms over what is believed to be a Rs.20 million offer for Mammooty to endorse Coca-Cola. The protestors want the actor to turn down the reported offer, alleging that Coke has overexploited water resources at the Plachimada bottling plant in Palakkad district.

Mammooty, however, told IANS on phone that Coke was yet to approach him directly for the endorsement. "Of course, I will take my time to decide on this.

"Now that I see a lot of resentment from the intellectual community, I would have a talk with them and find out what their reservations are. I will require a week's time to make a final decision."

The superstar added: "I could have understood the rationale for people getting so worked up if I had already endorsed the product.

"But I certainly do not understand why there is so much protest on an endorsement that has not even been done."

Coke decided to rope in Mammooty to spur sales in Kerala.

The product hit a new low in the state when a BBC radio report last September revealed that sludge from its factory, given free of cost to villagers for use as manure, contained chemicals like lead and cadmium much above permissible levels.

Besides, Coke has been fighting a series of court cases with some village authorities.

The entire Palakkad district like many other districts is reeling from water shortage. The Coke unit has been closed for the past week after a court order.

One of the first people to urge Mammooty not to go ahead with the endorsement was Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader V.S. Achuthanandan.

"I will ask him not to act foolishly by going ahead with the deal because one should understand the issue of mass exploitation of water resources by the company," said Achuthanandan.

Mammooty's links with the CPI-M are well known as he is the chairman of Kairali TV in which the party has considerable stake.

The star's colleague and veteran comedian Innocent told IANS that as Mammooty was a much loved person, he should understand that the public resentment was for a reason.

"At the same time, many of us do endorse products. But do we look into the quality of these products?" he asked.

Mammooty himself seems irked over the protests from the student and youth wings of political parties like the Communist Party of India, Janata Dal, Socialist Unity Centre of India, All India Democratic Students Organisation and Jamaat-e-Islami.

Reports indicate that the Youth Congress will also demonstrate.

Indo-Asian News Service