Jude Anthany Joseph Clarifies 'Secondary Casting' Remark About Mohanlal, Meets Ayushmann Khurrana

In a clip that has been doing the rounds on social media, director Jude Anthany Joseph opened up about the reason behind his decision to step out of a proposed Hindi project starring Ayushmann Khurrana. Talking about the film he was expected to do after his Malayalam blockbuster 2018, the filmmaker said he had finished a round of primary talks after the Hindi actor had liked a script he narrated. While in the process of discussions during the pre-production stage, Jude is said to have asked for a go-ahead with certain casting decisions, including casting Malayalam superstar Mohanlal in an important central role. As he awaited a response, a person from the film’s team purportedly replied by stating that all “secondary casting” decisions would be made at a later stage of discussions. Angered at the reference of the superstar being called “secondary casting”, Joseph said he decided to quit the project altogether. 

The statement led to Mohanlal’s fans being irked, following which Joseph posted a clarification on Instagram. Posting a picture with Khurrana, the filmmaker wrote, “Wonderful catching up with Ayushmann today Just to clarify, my Mohanlal Sir comment was about the producer and had nothing to do with him. Nothing but respect between us. Hope we get to work together soon! He was so happy with the Mohanlal sir script, and unfortunately it didn't work out. It was definitely not his fault that it didn't happen. But I'm genuinely happy that I got to meet an actor with so much talent and calibre. Hope we get to work together someday.” 

However, Joseph later amended the caption, removing the reference to the producer.

Jude Anthany Joseph’s film Thudakkam, starring Mohanlal's daughter Vismaya Mohanlal, has posted the highest first-day collections for any female-led film in Malayalam icinema. The film also featured a long cameo featuring Mohanlal in the role for a marital arts teacher. Joseph has also hinted at a film with Mohanlal he would direct in the future.