Joju George raises defamation concerns, ‘Varavu’ team refutes on-set claims
Actor Joju George claims he is the subject of a social media defamation campaign, alleging a prominent actor and his wife are orchestrating it.
Actor Joju George claims he is the subject of a social media defamation campaign, alleging a prominent actor and his wife are orchestrating it.
Actor Joju George claims he is the subject of a social media defamation campaign, alleging a prominent actor and his wife are orchestrating it.
Actor Joju George, whose latest film ‘Varavu,’ directed by Shaji Kailas, released in theatres last week, has alleged that he is being targeted by a defamation campaign on social media.
In an Instagram Live session, which was later deleted, the actor claimed that a prominent actor and the latter's wife were behind a coordinated PR campaign against him. Speaking emotionally, Joju said the allegations were taking a toll on both his personal life and professional career. He claimed that false narratives were being spread to tarnish his reputation and discourage producers from working with him in the future.
When Onmanorama contacted Joju to verify the issue independently, he declined to comment further. Joju, meanwhile, also rejected allegations made by filmmaker Santhivila Dinesh, who had claimed that the actor, in a fit of anger, damaged between 12 and 16 mobile phones on the sets of ‘Varavu.’
"Does that even sound logical? I would need at least 16 days to break that many phones. Why would I do something like that? If it were true, why would the same producers continue to work with me? Why would they cast me again if I was such a pain to deal with?" Joju said.
Santhivila Dinesh had earlier alleged that Joju had anger issues and frequently created problems on film sets, adding that the actor had forgotten the struggles that shaped his career.
However, sources associated with ‘Varavu’ strongly denied the phone-breaking allegation. "No such incident took place on the sets. It is true that Joju is an emotional person, but a remark made by someone has been blown out of proportion and turned into an entirely different narrative. The claims are simply not true," a source from the film's team told Onmanorama.
Meanwhile, the makers of ‘Varavu’ have also expressed concern over what they describe as a targeted campaign against the film. According to them, the movie was subjected to sustained negative publicity and was not even given enough time to find its audience in theatres.
Directed by Shaji Kailas and written by A K Sajan, ‘Varavu’ follows an elderly brother's relentless quest for justice after the mysterious disappearance of his younger brother, played by Arjun Ashokan.