‘Churuli’ controversy: Lijo Jose Pellissery responds to Joju George’s remarks with bank slip

Filmmaker Lijo Jose Pellisery, who helmed the 2021 sci-fi flick Churuli, has squashed claims by actor Joju George, who alleged that he was not paid for his role in the film.
ALSO READ | ‘Churuli’ explained: Lijo Jose Pellissery braves into terrain of the absurd
In a Facebook post, Pellisery said George has been compensated for his three-day shoot and shared his pay slip and a bank statement showing a transfer of Rs 5.9 lakh. "For the attention of dear Joju. Recent comments by Joju George regarding the movie have hurt my friends who are the producers of the movie,” the director said.
“We have never misled Joju in any way throughout the making of the movie. Thankan chettan (George) was well aware of the language used in the movie. Also, this film with an A certificate has never been shown in theatres. There is a High Court verdict regarding the language used in the movie. The movie is currently streaming on SonyLiv, but we hope to release this film in theatres one day," he added.
ALSO READ | What Kamal Haasan loved about Joju George at the sets of 'Thug Life'
Pellisery response was triggered by a statement given by the actor in a recent interview with The New Indian Express. In it, George claimed the makers of the film had agreed that a version where the actor used expletives would not be shown in theatres, allegedly leaving the actor facing the brunt of his actions from the audience.
He further stated that he had not “received any remuneration for that film”. He said, “I’d been upset about all that and I did convey my reservations to the producers. Nobody called me to enquire about it.”
Entertainment