Kerala minister bans movie shoots at Sabarimala after Athimanoharam row

Kerala Devaswom Minister K Muraleedharan has said that no permission will be granted for movie shoots at Sabarimala, following a controversy over permission given to the team of Mohanlal-starrer Athimanoharam to film at the temple. The Travancore Devaswom Board had reportedly granted permission with strict conditions, but the Forest Department subsequently denied permission for the shoot.

Speaking about the issue in an exclusive conversation,  Muraleedharan, a senior



Congress leader and the son of former Kerala Chief Minister K Karunakaran, said he would look into the matter in detail and reiterated that Sabarimala cannot be used as a regular film-shooting location.

"We can't let movie shoots happen at Sabarimala. Permission can be granted only for movies related to Lord Ayyappa at Sabarimala temple and religious films. Normal films cannot be granted permission. Temples cannot be given for shooting. That's government policy," he said.