‘Marco’ producer Shareef Muhammed vows to avoid violent films in future

Following the intense debates surrounding ‘Marco’, producer Shareef Muhammed has announced that he will no longer produce films with extreme violence. His decision comes after the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) rejected the request to downgrade the film’s certification from ‘A’ to ‘U/A’, citing its high level of violence.

According to news 18, Shareef defended ‘Marco’, stating that the film was not meant to promote violence but to authentically tell a story. He emphasized that a writer-director must portray what the subject demands. “It is not cinema that should change, but our perspective,” he remarked, pointing out that several films have showcased violence before, with proper warnings displayed in theaters.

However, he admitted that reports of rising youth violence in the state are concerning. “I will not make any film that apparently promotes violence from here on,” he assured.
Marco, widely regarded as one of the most violent Malayalam films ever made, was a massive box office hit. But with the CBFC's decision, the film will not get satellite streaming rights, further limiting its reach. Additionally, a letter has been sent to the central government requesting a ban on its OTT release.
Meanwhile, the actor Jagadish who played one of the terrifying villains in ‘Marco’ recently said in a press meeting that it was only his character in the movie who supports violence and not his real-life personality. He said, “The question is, do audiences like the character or Jagadish as a person? In ‘Marco, ’ my character Tony Isaac supports violence. But does the audience like Tony Isaac or Jagadish? If it's Jagadish they like, then let me be clear—I have never spoken in favor of violence. When I visit schools and colleges, I always try to spread a message of love. If audiences reject the message I, Jagadish, am giving and instead accept what Tony Isaac portrays, then that is indeed a topic for debate. Take Lage Raho Munna Bhai, for example. It promoted Gandhian values. But how many people actually adopted those values? So, can we really say that audiences are only influenced by negativity and not by goodness?.”