Actor Prithviraj Sukumaran has become the target of cyber attacks by people who aim to “eliminate” him from the Malayalam film industry, his mother Mallika Sukumaran said in a recent interview.

Prithviraj’s Malayalam film Vilayath Buddha opened in theatres on 21 November to mixed reviews.

Speaking to Manorama Online, Mallika said that her son and the film are being targeted by the Malayalam film industry in a bid to destroy him.

“When there is an attack on Prithviraj, there are only a few organisations or individuals who speak out against it. They are blatantly abusing him online, mostly targeting only him. Prithvi is their main target. If you ask organisations about it, nobody has any answers. The attempt is to eliminate Prithviraj as an actor from the industry, and those in the Malayalam film industry are the ones doing it. They are also unhappy with actor Thilakan's son, Shammi Thilakan, making an upward rise in Malayalam cinema,” Mallika, who is also an actress and businesswoman, said.

Mallika also said that film organisations like the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) should stand by all artistes equally. According to a report by Manorama Online, Mallika said that she has collected the IDs of those who carried out the cyber attack.

Prithviraj recently starred in Sarzameen alongside Kajol and Ibrahim Ali Khan. The actor will also appear in the highly anticipated sequel to Salaar titled Salaar: Part 2 - Shouryanga Parvam. Prithviraj has S. S. Rajamouli’s next directorial Varanasi co-starring Mahesh Babu and Priyanka Chopra in the pipeline.