The debate over media conduct at veteran actor Salim Kumar’s funeral has drawn a strong response from actor, filmmaker and newly elected Palakkad MLA Ramesh Pisharody. Speaking to reporters in Kochi on June 9, 2026, the Congress leader said the behaviour of some online media crews at Salim Kumar’s residence, ‘Laughing Villa,’ went far beyond any acceptable limit, with camera crews obstructing the funeral procession and state rituals despite repeated pleas from the family and Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan.
Pisharody said the film community had quietly endured similar crowding by digital creators at the funerals of other artists, including actress Subi Suresh and comedian Kalabhavan Navas (Navasikka). But the scene at Salim Kumar’s home, he said, marked a complete breakdown of basic decorum, with some mobile journalists and onlookers intent on filming every moment of the family’s grief.
A family left with no room
Describing the morning of June 7, Pisharody said the crowding began well before the final rituals. As relatives and colleagues tried to carry Salim Kumar’s remains, in a transparent freezer unit, from the ambulance into the hall, they were hemmed in by a ring of cameras. He said the pallbearers called out at least ten times for the crowd to move back to avoid a stumble, but the crews would not give way.
That, he said, was what prompted the much-shared outburst from Salim Kumar’s son, Chandu Salim Kumar. Pisharody recalled that after the rites, an anxious Chandu came to him and asked whether his shouting at the reporters would be viewed badly. Pisharody told him his reaction was justified, given the family had been left with no other way to protect their father’s dignity.
An obstructed gun salute
What drew particular concern was the disruption of the official honours. Pisharody noted that Salim Kumar had asked for a quiet, non-religious farewell so his family would not be troubled, and that the only formal element planned was a state guard of honour by the Kerala Police. The courtyard, he said, was so tightly packed that the police contingent could not safely raise their rifles for the gun salute.
He added that Chief Minister Satheesan ended up standing in the crowd like an ordinary citizen, repeatedly asking the crews to step back so the ritual could go ahead. Citing the right to privacy, Pisharody called for clearer boundaries from broadcasting bodies and tighter regulation of unverified digital platforms, framing it as a plea to keep private grief from becoming online content.
Leave a Reply