Several prominent figures from the Malayalam film industry joined solidarity protests in Kochi on Wednesday, 22 July 2026, in support of the ongoing student agitation at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET controversy, even as Kerala itself remains embroiled in multiple major recruitment and education-related scandals.
Writers, actors, filmmakers, musicians and activists gathered at multiple locations across Kochi, including Maharaja’s College, Panampilly Nagar and Kacheripady, to express solidarity with the Cockroach Janata Party-led protests in the national capital.
Among those who participated were actor-filmmaker Joju George, filmmaker Aashiq Abu, actress Priya Prakash Varrier, actress Divya Prabha, actress Gowri Kishan, television anchor Ranjini Haridas, singer Abhaya Hiranmayi, rape-accused rapper Vedan, singer Aloshy, former India footballer C.K. Vineeth, writer N.S. Madhavan, writer K.R. Meera, lawyer Harish Vasudevan, LGBTQI activist Sheetal Shyam, filmmaker Mahesh Narayanan, filmmaker Manu Ashok, filmmaker Seenu Sohanlal, CPI(M) Ernakulam district secretary S. Sathish, and several others.
Writer N.S. Madhavan went further, drawing a comparison to Nazi Germany: “It reminded me of how the Brownshirts, who wanted Hitler to remain in power, joined the police in assaulting protesters on the streets of Germany around 100 years ago.”
Actor-filmmaker Joju George likened the situation to the emergency.
It is noteworthy that Malayalam actor Tovino Thomas portrayed the July 20 CJP “Sansad Chalo” protest as peaceful and asked, “Did they destroy property?”, while expressing solidarity with the demonstrators.
Actor Priya Varrier had posted stories on her Instagram account in support of the cockroaches.
The Deafening Silence Back Home
However, as Malayalam film industry’s elite took to social media and the streets to voice their concerns over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination, many are asking why similar outrage has not been forthcoming over multiple recruitment scandals unfolding right in their own backyard.
Consider the following:
The PSC Examination Scandal
The Kerala Public Service Commission is currently facing an existential credibility crisis. A Special Investigation Team led by Crime Branch Inspector General S. Ajeetha Begum is investigating allegations that the digital On-Screen Marking software completely failed during an examination for high-level Planning Board posts, leaving 10 crucial questions worth 58 marks unevaluated. Despite this, a final rank list was released.
The probe has since expanded to look into suspected irregularities in recruitment for the Kerala Administrative Service, Deputy Superintendent of Police (Special Recruitment), Assistant Professors in Law Colleges, and Assistant Information Officer posts. Critics have alleged that candidates with Leftist affiliations were favoured during the interview processes, with claims that a Principal Secretary refused to follow the PSC Chairman’s alleged directives to award unnaturally high marks to a particular candidate.
The Multi-State Fake Degree Certificate Racket
In what is being described as one of the largest counterfeit education credential networks ever busted, Kerala Police seized over 1,00,000 forged certificates impersonating professional degrees from over 28 major Indian universities. The racket, operating out of Malappuram and Kochi, supplied flawless forged degree certificates, mark sheets, seals, and holograms.
The scam has triggered an international political firestorm, with Australian Senator Malcolm Roberts accusing the Albanese government of failing to act against foreign students allegedly using purchased degrees to study and work in Australia. Thousands of individuals used these fake Kerala-made certificates to illegally secure high-paying jobs in the Gulf countries and obtain student visas to enter Australia.
The Fake Honorary Doctorate Racket
A cyber-enabled scam targeting prominent professionals, businessmen, and social media influencers has also come to light, with fraudulent online consultancies offering “Honorary Doctorates” from fake foreign universities for processing fees ranging from ₹1.20 lakh to ₹2.5 lakh.
Yet, as these scams which directly affect thousands of Kerala’s job aspirants continue to unravel, there has been no public statement from the same film personalities who have been so vocal about the protests in Delhi.
Where Was Mollywood?
Where were Joju George’s comparisons to the Emergency when Kerala’s own recruitment system was being compromised? Where was N.S. Madhavan’s historical perspective when the dreams of thousands of Kerala’s youths were being stolen by a well-oiled counterfeit degree network? Where was Aashiq Abu’s call for marches when the PSC’s digital evaluation system betrayed job aspirants?
Where was Parvathy Thiruvothu’s moral clarity when the fake degree racket was exposed? Where was Tovino Thomas’s question “What did these students do wrong?” when Kerala’s youth, who had studied honestly, found themselves competing against candidates with forged credentials?
The answer is conspicuous: they were nowhere to be found.
A Double Standard?
The Malayalam film industry’s thunderous outrage over Delhi police action stands in stark contrast to its silence on Kerala’s own scandals. While actors, filmmakers, and writers flood social media condemning the Union Education Minister, not a single prominent voice has questioned the Kerala PSC’s alleged manipulation of examinations or the fake degree racket that has stolen opportunities from thousands of Kerala’s youth. The same celebrities who invoke democracy and compare Delhi to Nazi Germany have nothing to say about answer sheet destruction or recruitment corruption in their own state.
It is clear that progressive credentials are convenient when they target the Centre, but inconvenient when they would require criticising the powers that be in Kerala. For the state’s unemployed youth, the silence speaks louder than any placard.
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