Alappuzha Gymkhana director Khalid Rahman and Bheemante Vazhi helmer Ashraf Hamza among 3 arrested in Kochi with hybrid ganja
Days after Malayalam actor Shine Tom Chacko was arrested on drug charges, renowned film directors Khalid Rahman and Ashraf Hamza, along with one other person, landed in the police net for alleged possession of hybrid ganja. The Excise Special Squad nabbed the trio from a flat near the Goshree Bridge in Ernakulam early on Sunday morning. About 1.63 grams of hybrid ganja were also seized from their possession in searches based on a tip-off.
The third person has been identified as one Shalif Mohammed, and the trio were nabbed while they were gearing up to use cannabis at the flat that reportedly belongs to cinematographer-turned-filmmaker Sameer Thahir. All three were, however, granted bail after their arrests were formally recorded as the amount of contraband found on them was below the limit necessary to charge them with commercial quantity offences under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. It is learnt that Sameer will be summoned for questioning soon.
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'We went there after getting information. They were arrested from an apartment near the Goshree Bridge. The directors were arrested as they had possession of cannabis. It was a case in which they got station bail. They were there for a cinema discussion, and from what we were told during the questioning, they have been using it for years,' The News Minute quoted an excise officer as saying. Excise officials told the media that they had also received information from the trio about the person from whom they purchased the ganja and that an investigation into this angle was underway.
In the wake of their arrests, the directors' union Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA) has decided to suspend both Khalid and Ashraf. Instructions in this regard have already been given to the union by its president, renowned filmmaker Sibi Malayil. It is learnt that the Kerala Film Producers' Association (KFPA) has also extended their support to the FEFKA move.
Known for helming critical and commercial hit movies such as Anuraga Karikkin Vellam (2016), Unda (2019), Love (2020) and Thallumaala (2022), Khalid's arrest comes at a time when he's revelling in the success of his recent sports comedy Alappuzha Gymkhana that hit the screens just over a fortnight ago. Rahman is the brother of renowned cinematographers Shyju Khalid and Jimshi Khalid. Ashraf Hamza, meanwhile, rose to fame by helming movies such as Thamaasha (2019), Bheemante Vazhi (2021) and Sulaikha Manzil (2023).
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