Entertainment
Jude Anthany Joseph Walks Out of Ayushmann Khurrana Film Over Mohanlal ‘Secondary Artist’ Remark: ‘I Couldn’t Accept It’
The Malayalam filmmaker says he exited the Hindi project after the production team allegedly described Mohanlal as a “secondary artist” while discussing his casting in an important role.
Jude Anthany Joseph has revealed why he walked away from a planned Hindi film featuring Ayushmann Khurrana, claiming that a disagreement over the proposed casting of Mohanlal ultimately forced him to leave the project.
Speaking in an interview with Club FM, the Malayalam filmmaker recalled his experience of developing the project and said he was particularly upset by the way the production house allegedly referred to Mohanlal while discussing the veteran actor’s potential involvement.
According to Jude, Mohanlal had an important role in the story he was developing, and he wanted the actor’s participation to be confirmed before taking the screenplay forward.
Jude had already written Mohanlal’s role
Jude said he had received approaches from production houses in both the Tamil and Telugu film industries for the story.
However, he eventually chose to develop it with Ayushmann Khurrana, describing the project as a “proper Bollywood film”.
By that stage, Jude had already prepared the basic screenplay for the Hindi adaptation.
The filmmaker said the story included a substantial role specifically designed for Mohanlal.
According to Jude, the role was not simply a cameo or an incidental appearance. It was an important part of the narrative, which is why he wanted clarity regarding the actor’s participation before proceeding further.
The conversation that changed everything
Jude recalled that discussions with the production house were progressing while the screenplay was being developed.
However, the makers reportedly wanted to first assess the completed script before making casting commitments.
That is where the filmmaker says the disagreement began.
According to Jude, when he pushed for Mohanlal’s involvement to be confirmed, the production team responded that they would first need to approve the script before thinking about the “secondary artists”.
For Jude, the terminology was unacceptable.
The filmmaker said he considered Mohanlal one of India’s finest actors and felt that describing him as a “secondary artist” was disrespectful given his stature and contribution to Indian cinema.
Why Jude decided to leave the project
Rather than continue with the production under those circumstances, Jude said he decided to withdraw from the film.
His concern, as described in the interview, was not simply about casting. It was about how an actor of Mohanlal’s standing was being viewed within the project.
Jude reportedly took the matter seriously enough to involve his lawyer and formally exit the film.
He also said the production house signed a non-disclosure agreement, ensuring that details surrounding the project would remain confidential.
The film’s current status and whether another filmmaker will eventually take it forward have not been established from the information available.
Jude’s admiration for Mohanlal
The incident also highlights the filmmaker’s long-standing admiration for Mohanlal.
For Jude, the actor’s potential involvement appears to have been an important creative consideration from the beginning.
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Mohanlal is among the most celebrated actors in Indian cinema, with a career spanning Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Hindi-language projects.
His reputation for handling both subtle dramatic roles and larger commercial performances has made him one of the most respected performers in the country.
That context explains why Jude reacted strongly to the reported description.
Jude Anthany Joseph’s journey
Jude made his directorial debut with Ohm Shanthi Oshaana in 2014, which received widespread appreciation for its fresh approach to romance and coming-of-age storytelling.
He subsequently directed films including Oru Muthassi Gadha and Sara’s, building a reputation within Malayalam cinema for exploring different genres and character-driven stories.
His most widely recognised work came with 2018, the survival drama inspired by the devastating Kerala floods. The film became a major success and further established Jude as an important contemporary Malayalam filmmaker.
His willingness to step away from a Hindi project rather than compromise over an issue he considered important is now generating fresh attention.
What happens to the Ayushmann Khurrana project?
For now, there is no confirmed word on the future of the proposed Ayushmann Khurrana film.
Jude’s comments provide his account of why he left, but the production house involved has not been quoted in the available information responding to his version of events.
Whether the project will eventually move forward with another director, and whether Mohanlal will remain associated with it, remains unclear.
For Jude, however, the decision appears to have been straightforward: if Mohanlal was going to be part of the story, he wanted the veteran actor’s contribution to be treated with the respect he believed it deserved.
