Kochi: The controversy surrounding the film Churuli continues to heat up, as actor Joju George publicly responded to director Lijo Jose Pellissery in a strongly worded press conference. Joju said he would have never agreed to act in the film had he known how things would turn out this way after its release.

Joju alleged that the film was marketed using his cuss dialogues and that this impacted both his personal life and reputation. "My daughter told me I shouldn't have acted in Churuli...If I knew things would end up like this, I would’ve stayed away from the project," Joju said. “Churuli was made as a festival film,” he added.

Joju clarified that he only acted in Churuli out of friendship with Lijo Jose Pellissery and was told that the film was intended for film festivals, not a theatrical or OTT release.

“I agreed to perform the character with such freedom because it was meant to be a festival film. There was no discussion about releasing it in theatres or on OTT platforms. Yes, I use profanity in real life too, it’s part of our society. But when the film was sold to an OTT platform for a better price, they chose the uncensored, expletive-filled version instead of the clean version we had dubbed for IFFK,” Joju explained.

The actor revealed that the film came out during one of the toughest periods in his life, when he was already in the news over a roadblock incident. “I was trying to recover from that phase when Churuli was marketed using my vulgar dialogue. I did ask about compensation, yes, that’s true. But I also had to face legal action for using profanity in the film.”

He shared an emotional anecdote about how the controversy had affected his family life: “A few days ago, my kids changed schools. The first thing a classmate showed my daughter was a troll video of me cursing in Churuli. That’s what hurt me the most. That’s why I decided to finally speak out.”

Joju’s call for the release of the agreement:

Joju said many people loved his character, Thankan Chetan, but noted that he was paid just ₹5 lakh for the role. “They must have that agreement paper. If you’re going to leak a part of the document, leak the full contract too.”

Addressing a popular troll that claimed no one praises him, Joju added: “I was only speaking about a working environment where colleagues appreciate each other. I never had anyone to complain to. I never even attended a motivational session when I was a junior artist. Life has been pure survival for me.”