After the success of ‘2018’, Jude Anthany Joseph took a long gap and returned with ‘Thudakkam,’ which marked the acting debut of Mohanlal’s daughter Vismaya Mohanlal. Recently in an interview, the director mentioned planning a Bollywood project with actor Ayushmann Khurrana and later explained why he left it.
Jude Anthany Joseph opens up about the Bollywood project
Jude Anthany Joseph said he was unhappy with how the production house described Mohanlal during discussions about the project. Jude made the revelation while speaking to Club FM. The ‘Thudakkam’ director said the film had already reached an advanced stage of development when the disagreement occurred. Jude said he had developed the basic script for the proposed Hindi film before approaching a production house. The story had also been discussed with the makers.Mohanlal was part of the project from the early stages. According to Jude, the veteran actor had an important character in the story.“The basic script was almost complete. We had also discussed the story with the production house. At that time, Lal sir had a role in the story. It was an important role. However, they asked me to complete the screenplay first.”
‘Lal sir’ was an important character
The filmmaker then explained the condition he placed before agreeing to continue with the project. Jude said he was willing to complete the screenplay but wanted confirmation about Mohanlal’s participation.“At that point, I put forward a demand to them. I told them that I could complete the script, but my condition was that Lal sir should be confirmed for the project.”According to Jude, the response from the production house became the turning point. He said the makers wanted to evaluate the completed script before considering the actors who were being discussed for the film.“They responded by saying, ‘First, we need to like the script. Only then will we think about the secondary artists.'”
Why Jude Anthany Joseph walked away
Jude said he was particularly unhappy with Mohanlal being described as a secondary artist. He pointed out that the actor had been given a significant role in the proposed film.“I did not like the fact that they referred to Lal sir, who is one of the finest actors in India, as a secondary artist. So I decided to walk away from the project.”“The entire conversation happened through email. They would send me an email, and I would respond to it. Eventually, I brought my lawyer into the matter and withdrew from the project. In the end, I also got them to sign a non-disclosure agreement,” Jude Anthany Joseph said.
‘Thudakkam’ records box office growth
Meanwhile, Jude’s latest film ‘Thudakkam’ is doing decent box office business. According to Sacnilk, ‘Thudakkam’ collected Rs 3.50 crore net in India on its second day. The film had opened with Rs 2.55 crore net on Friday. Saturday’s collection represents a 37.3% increase over the opening-day figure. The film also recorded stronger audience occupancy during the second day of its run.
India net collection crosses Rs 6 crore
‘Thudakkam’ has collected Rs 6.05 crore net in India so far. Its India gross collection has reached Rs 7.02 crore. Apart from Vismaya Mohanlal, the legendary actor Mohanlal also appears in a cameo role in the film.