Churuli row: Lijo Jose Pellissery removes Facebook post against Joju George | Here’s the latest update

Malayalam director Lijo Jose Pellissery and actor Joju George have been entangled in an indirect spat over the past few days over the film Churuli. In the latest development in the ongoing tussle between them, Lijo Jose Pellissery had removed the Facebook post he had put against Joju George. Here’s everything you need to know about Lijo Jose Pellissery-Joju George spat over Churuli, which has been hogging much attention in the Malayalam filmdom.

Lijo Jose Pellissery deletes FB post against Joju George

Churuli is a 2021 Malayalam film, helmed by acclaimed filmmaker Lijo Jose Pellissery and featured Joju George, among others. Malayalam actor Joju George sparked a controversy when he said during an interview with The New Indian Express that he did not get paid for his performance in Churuli and that he had only acted in it as he was told the movie was a festival film. 

After this created a frenzy online, Lijo Jose Pellissery refuted Joju’s claims and put up a Facebook post, along with details of the amount paid to the actor. However, on June 28, 2025, the Facebook post was found to be removed from Lijo’s official account. However, there is no clarity on what prompted the Jallikattu director to delete the post, and Lijo has not made any official statements over the row.

But notably, on the same day Lijo Jose put up the Facebook post, Joju George had also addressed the issue during a press meet. While insisting that it was communicated to him that Churuli would only be screened at film festivals, Joju asked the makers to release their agreement with him. But Joju did not directly address the questions by mediapersonnel on whether he was paid Rs 5.9 lakh for his performance in Churuli, repeating his ‘request’ to the makers to put out the agreement.

What is Churuli plot all about?

The plot of the film follows two cops as they enter the remote village of Churuli, in search of a culprit. The cops are startled to find that villagers don’t hesitate to use expletives. The crude language of the movie was the topic of much discussion when the film was released in 2021. Joju George, who played Thankan, said that he would not have used swear words in the movie, if he was informed the film would be released in theatres.

Also read: Pani: Joju George on why a different director's name would have led to better response