Jeethu Joseph explains why ‘Mirage’ didn’t meet expectations

Director Jeethu Joseph has spoken candidly about why his film ‘Mirage’, starring Asif Ali and Aparna Balamurali, did not perform as expected at the box office. In an interview with Screen Awards, he said he takes full responsibility for the film’s outcome and does not blame anyone else.

Jeethu revealed that the script, written by Manoj Khatri, had been with him for nearly five years. “It was originally meant for Bollywood. When that didn’t work out, I decided to adapt it into Malayalam because I had given my word. Maybe it was the wrong call, I’m not sure. The producers had already paid an advance, and I was under a lot of pressure when I committed,” he said.

He added that audience expectations influenced the reception. “People expect a certain experience from my films. Many felt the story was predictable, and the reactions were mixed.”

Addressing comments about excessive twists, Jeethu said viewers often watch his films trying to anticipate plot turns. “I’d say, don’t approach it like that. ‘Mirage’ has only a handful of characters. If you assume from the start that each one will change, you’ll naturally feel you predicted it. Our focus was on the ‘mirage effect’, not on adding twists for the sake of it.”

He noted that the film’s concept carried inherent risks. “Some felt there were too many twists, some didn’t. Many assumed the police character was negative, but he was actually positive. That duality was part of the idea.”

‘Mirage’ is a crime thriller centred on a financial fraud and an accidental death. The film marked Jeethu Joseph’s reunion with Asif Ali after the success of ‘Kooman’, which raised expectations. However, it ended up with mixed reviews, with several critics feeling that the frequent shifts in character arcs diluted the impact of the narrative.