Major Ravi condemns the Right-wing criticism of young medicos' dance

Actor-director Major Ravi, who is always quite vocal about political and social issues, conveyed strong criticism over the ‘love jihad’ suggestion of the viral dance video of two Thrissur Medical College students. Speaking to us, he shared how he took a new Muslim actress, Manasi, whose reel father he played, under his wing when she faced criticism from her community for learning classical dance.
“What is wrong with society?” Major Ravi asks angrily, speaking about the medico dance video which a lawyer “cautioned” against. “They are two young people who are dancing without any inhibitions and just totally vibrant and energetic. People want to introduce enmity and poison in society for no rhyme or reason.”
When Janaki M Omkumar and Naveen K Razak danced to retro disco-number Rasputin by Boney M, their easy, fluid moves made them an instant hit with netizens, including several Malayalam film celebrities who reposted the video. Also, the fact that the duo was in scrubs, at a time when the world is still grimly battling the effects of the pandemic, definitely struck a chord.
But not long before video went viral, Krishna Raj, an advocate with Right wing leanings, apparently posted that “something fishy” was on, and suggested that Janaki’s parents should take note of this and be cautious, alluding to a woman named Nimisha who was found among IS members in Afghanistan. He seems to since have taken down the post.
“Their names started getting extended to point to the fact that one is a Muslim and the other a Hindu, to make an issue out of it. People have gone mad. They are so intent on creating enmity, they can’t see love and happiness. I strongly condemn those who are criticising these kids,” says Major Ravi.
Sharing the story of Manasi, who has acted as his daughter in a yet to be released film, he says that her father faced criticism for allowing her to learn dance, but he stood firm. “She is like a daughter to me and I lent support whenever I could. And now, she is a rank holder in classical dance,” he says.