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Even as his debut directorial Pani continues its theatrical run, actor-filmmaker Joju George has found himself in hot water after a voice clip surfaced in which he is purportedly heard threatening and mocking a person who shared a negative review of his movie on social media. The review, which criticised the on-screen depiction of sexual violence, quickly went viral, and so did the voice clip, prompting Joju to offer a clarification on the matter.
On Friday night, a netizen named Adarsh HS, identified in his Facebook profile as a research assistant at Reporter Live, shared a four-minute voice clip of a phone call between himself and Joju, claiming that the actor-filmmaker “threatened” him after reading his post. In the conversation, they discuss Adarsh’s review of Pani, which he apparently shared in several groups fostering movie discussions. In his post, Adarsh argued that sensitive topics like rape require careful handling. He contended that the film had depicted a rape scene immaturely, objectifying the female character.
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In response to Adarsh’s post, Joju George called him and allegedly threatened him, asking, “Do you have the guts to face me?” When Adarsh pointed out that rape should not have been portrayed in such a manner, Joju retorted sarcastically, “Please teach me. I’ll come to you. Where will you be tomorrow? Or better yet, just keep thinking about me every day.” As Adarsh suggested Joju should handle criticism more maturely and claimed that his respect for the artiste had gone down significantly, the actor-filmmaker intensified the sarcasm, saying that Adarsh’s respect was of utmost importance to him, implying it was essential for his livelihood.
“Why are you getting so provoked over a review of your movie,” Adarsh asked, to which Joju replied, “Kid, if I had truly been provoked, you would have peed your pants.” Adarsh responded with equal sarcasm, saying, “I don’t need you to provoke me to pee. I do it every day.” After the voice clip went viral, many social media users weighed in on the controversy. While some supported Joju, empathising that any filmmaker might feel hurt by such criticism, others condemned his response as overly intolerant.
On Saturday night, Joju George went live on Instagram to share his perspective. Acknowledging that he had made the phone call, he noted that although numerous people shared opinions about Pani, he only contacted this one individual. “This particular person copy-pasted his review in multiple places, even personally advising people in comment sections not to watch the movie,” Joju claimed. He emphasised his respect for freedom of expression but criticised Adarsh for allegedly spreading spoilers. Joju clarified that he did not know Adarsh personally, denied any personal grudge and stated his intent to pursue legal action. He concluded by explaining that his reaction was not out of arrogance, but rather a product of the survival mode he has operated in throughout his life.
Also starring Abhinaya, Sagar Surya, Junaiz VP, Bobby Kurian, Abhaya Hiranmayi, Prashanth Alexander and Sujith Shankar in key roles, Pani hit the screens on October 24. The movie has been produced jointly by Appu Pathu Pappu Production House, Sree Gokulam Movies and AD Studios. In his review of the movie, SCREEN’s Anandu Suresh wrote, “While the first act is solid, suggesting that Joju George is on track to deliver an outstanding actioner, the script falters very soon and begins bombarding viewers with stale moments, incidents and dialogues.”
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