Joju George addressed the press this afternoon regarding the controversy behind his 2021 film Churuli. After claiming in a recent interview that he did not receive remuneration for the film and alleged that director Lijo Jose Pellissery violated their agreement by releasing an explicit version, the filmmaker responded by sharing the bank statement of payment on his Facebook, showing a transfer of Rs 5.9 lakh to George’s account dated December 2019.

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During the press meet, George mentioned that he never had any intention to make this issue public but a conversation with his daughter about his role in Churuli upset him. “When my daughter brought up my swearing in the film, it affected me. Since the situation triggered me, I just blurted it out in the interview,” he said.

The actor mentioned that he was informed that Churuli was a festival film, and that is why he chose to use explicit language in the film. “I was very excited to act in the film when I read the script. I only agreed to take part in it because Churuli was touted to be a festival film. That is why I used profanity without hesitation.”

George says that the version which debuted at the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) was the censored version, but what hit the silver screens was the uncensored cut. The actor received immense backlash for his use of profane language in the film. George said, though he respected Pellissery as a filmmaker, the filmmaker made no effort to reach out to him.“Lijo did not contact me when the case blew up,” George said.

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When questioned about the filmmaker’s Thursday morning exposé on Facebook, George replied “Aside from the pay slip, there is an agreement paper that states the fee I was paid for the film. That’s what they should release to the public.” When asked what was written in the agreement, he refused to comment and said that the public would know once it was released.