As actor Mohanlal offered to return the money he received for a flopped stage show during the inaugural ceremony of the 35th National Games here, Chief Secretary Jiji Thomson today expressed dissatisfaction at the organisation of the event.
A day after Mohanlal offered to return Rs 1.63 crore his band Lalisom got for the show during the Games inauguration, Sports Minister Thiruvanchur Radkakrishnan said the government would respond to the actor's decision tomorrow but urged the critics to stop haunting the artist.
Reacting to the sweeping attack on the musical show from political quarters as well as through social media comments, he said the complaints were only about Lalisom and not other items featured in the opening spectacle.
He, however, said Mohanlal had reacted to the issue in a dignified manner and the critics should stop haunting him. The Minister also said the entire Games would be audited within 45 days of their conclusion.
Meanwhile, in an urgently convened meeting of top Games officials, state Chief Secretary Thomson expressed dissatisfaction at the way the opening ceremony was organised.
Thomson, a former Director General of Sports Authority of India, told mediapersons, that he had aired his dissatisfaction at the way things were organised without proper planning or rehearsal.
The stage show --Lalisom -- was widely perceived as a flop as some performers allegedly bluffed viewers by lip-syncing, forcing MohanLal to make an offer to return the amount he received.
Though a final call on this will be made only tomorrow, the thinking is strong in the government that taking back money would be discourteous and humiliating for a major artist like Mohanlal.
In an e-mail to the government, Mohanlal had last evening said he was "pained" by the controversy and expressed the hope that returning the money would cap the row.
"The government approached me at the last minute and asked me to perform the Lalisom show at the opening ceremony after a musical event that was earlier planned did not take off. For the past three weeks, I and my team have been working hard to bring this on the stage.
"I am pained by the allegations that have been levelled against the band. I hope my returning the money will put an end to all the controversy," the actor had said in his mail.
The performance of the band, in which Mohanlal himself sang a number of songs along with some well known singers, invited widespread criticism, not only from film and music circles, but also from the political fraternity.
