Sibi Malayil’s son fires back after Pearle Maaney calls his father ‘a failed filmmaker’

Host, actor and social media influencer Pearle Maaney has found herself at the centre of a public confrontation after posting her views on the ongoing Cockroach Janta Party-led student protests and lashing out at her critics. She even drew a pointed response from the son of acclaimed Malayalam filmmaker Sibi Malayil.

The row began when Pearle, three days after Delhi Police used batons and tear gas on students protesting near Jantar Mantar on July 20, shared a post on Instagram addressing the demonstrations. In her post, Pearle expressed the need for peace, safety and non-violence, but her comments were interpreted by many as advising students to go home rather than continue protesting. She disabled the comments section on the post, writing in the caption, “The comments section is a reflection of my Freedom of Speech.”

A post shared by Pearle Maaney (@pearlemaany)

The reaction was swift and largely negative. Among those who criticised her was Joe Malayil, the son of National Award-winning Malayalam director Sibi Malayil. Joe wrote a detailed critique on his Instagram Stories, calling her advice to students “peak stupidity” and questioning the substance of her four-page statement.

Pearle Maaney responded on her own Instagram Stories, though she did not name Joe or Sibi Malayil directly. She referred to her critic as “a failed filmmaker now writing a 10-page script about my 4-page post, adding chilli powder and ajinomoto to make it as unhealthy as possible.”

She also hit back at those who had brought her children into the conversation. “Some are asking sarcastically if my two kids are safe now. Reminding me that they are girls. Well, I know they are girls, so? Blackmailing me to change my statement? You have to first touch their momma bear for that. You are messing with the wrong person. You don’t have to give me freedom of speech. I already have it and will use it. Not your usual puppet. I am Pearle Maaney,” Pearle wrote.

She signed off with a pointed line that added another layer to the controversy. “And yes, my favourite colour is saffron. I think I love it the most on our Indian flag,” she wrote, a statement that was read by many as a political positioning given the current climate around the protests. After a few hours, Pearle deleted the Instagram Stories and disabled comments on her original post.

Joe Malayil, however, was not done. He responded again on his Instagram Stories, this time making it personal. “Hey momma bear, that ‘failed filmmaker’ is my father. Check properly before who you are dealing with,” he wrote. He challenged Pearle’s characterisation of his father’s career and mocked her complaint about the length of his critique. “How lazy must you be to read seven slides? You expect 5.7 million followers to read your half-cooked diplomacy and seven slides is too much for you?”

He then escalated the exchange sharply. “Since you made this personal, let the games begin. That ‘failed filmmaker’ didn’t raise a son without a spine, unlike your father who raised a coward,” Joe wrote, signing off with, “His name is Sibi Malayil. Go ahead. Do your best.”

Sibi Malayil is one of the most respected filmmakers in Malayalam cinema history, having directed films like Thaniyavarthanam, His Highness Abdullah, Kireedam, Dasharatham and Bharatham across a career that spans four decades. He has won the National Film Award for Best Direction and multiple Kerala State Film Awards.