The director-screenwriter is also no stranger to controversies. He has been marred by controversies over things in which he had no say. “Operating against someone isn’t even on my agenda,” he tells us. “If that was the case, I should have reacted the most when Aaraattu came out. When producers had an issue with the “audience reviews” from theatres, they stopped them. Neither I nor my organisation had even thought about it. Similarly, it just so happened that the matter was discussed in the exhibitors’ association just before my next film’s (Christopher) release. It was between the producers and exhibitors, but I got the name (blamed) for it,” asserts Unnikrishnan.
Democracy is the term that he recurrently uses throughout the interview while addressing criticism. “Why should I take such things emotionally? Criticism should be insightful and sharp, but they should also be democratic,” he concludes.