Malayalam actor Joju George lands in controversy after phone call to online reviewer

Controversy erupts as Malayalam actor Joju George calls out reviewer for negative comments on his directorial debut 'Pani', sparking backlash.

Malayalam actor and filmmaker Joju George’s purported phone call to a person who posted a review of his directorial debut ‘Pani’ has landed him in a controversy. Adarsh H.S, a research scholar who posted the review, also posted the conversation online accusing the actor of threatening him, triggering widespread criticism against Mr. George.

The original post questioned the alleged objectification of women and portrayal of rape in Pani. “When rape is picturised in a movie, it should be in such a way as to evoke empathy in the viewer to the victim. But in Pani, this has been done in a manner similar to the B-grade movies of the past. It objectifies the women characters,” he had written.

Mr. George, in his call to the reviewer, is heard questioning his intentions and challenging him to meet him directly. The reviewer says Mr. George “stands to lose the respect” he has earned by such direct calls to reviewers.

On Friday (November 1, 2024) night, Mr. George appeared in a live video on his social media page claiming that he decided to call up the reviewer only because he revealed major plot points and posted comments in several places asking people not to watch the film.

“My films have got several negative reviews, but I have not called up anyone till now because I believe in freedom of expression. But in this case, I felt that he was purposefully doing this to target the film. I will move ahead legally with all the screenshots,” he said.