Lijo Jose Pellissery Reveals Payment Records After Joju George’s Claims Over ‘Churuli’: Joju Responds

Acclaimed filmmaker Lijo Jose Pellissery has responded publicly to actor Joju George’s recent remarks regarding the controversial use of abusive language in the film Churuli and the alleged lack of payment for his role.

In a detailed social media post shared roughly nine hours ago, Lijo addressed the concerns raised by Joju in a recent interview, where the actor claimed he was not informed that the cuss-word-laden version of Churuli would be released to the general public.

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Taking to Facebook, he wrote: ” Dear Joju,

This explanation is based on the mental anguish caused to the producers who are friends. The film with an A certificate has not yet been released in theatres. There is a High Court verdict regarding the language, which was investigated by a committee.

I don’t remember any of us misinforming Joju during the filming. Thankan Chettan is a person who has a good understanding of this language.

NB: streaming on Sony Liv. If there is an opportunity, it will be released in cinema theatres. The salary paid to Joju for his three-day guest appearance is attached below.” He has also attached the payment details to the post.

Joju George also responded to Lijo Jose Pellissery’s post during a press meet held shortly after the director’s clarification went public. The actor expressed disappointment, stating that no one from the team ever reached out to him personally to understand his concerns, but instead, chose to publish payment records on social media.

“They didn’t even call to ask what I was going through. Instead, they just put out a payment sheet online,” Joju said. He further challenged Lijo to reveal the full agreement or contract they had, noting that it would show the exact terms under which he agreed to work. “If Lijo wants to tarnish my reputation, then let him also publish the agreement and the amount I was actually paid for a three-day shoot,” Joju added,

Earlier, during an interview, Joju alleged that he had been told the film would only be screened at film festivals in that form, and that a ‘clean version’ without profanity would be released for wider viewing.

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In the interview, Joju shared that the uncensored version of the film being released had personal consequences. He said he was subjected to public ridicule and that even his children had to endure mockery from peers due to the film’s strong language. Further, Joju made a startling claim—that he did not receive any payment for his role in Churuli, despite playing a key part in the film’s narrative.

Churuli, directed by Lijo and written by S. Hareesh, stirred conversation upon its release in 2021 due to its bold storytelling, unconventional narrative, and the unfiltered use of Malayalam profanity. While the film was lauded in international and festival circuits, its release on OTT sparked debates on content regulation and viewer sensitivity.

Lijo has previously defended the film’s artistic choices, asserting that the raw and unfiltered language was integral to the story’s tone and setting.