Mohanlal's Vijayamohan in Neru is distant from the characters he played recently: Jeethu Joseph

Director Jeethu Joseph remarked that Mohanlal’s character, Advocate Vijaya Mohanan, in Neru is different from the ones he has performed to date. “This film is also distant from my pattern of storytelling,” he added. He was speaking to the media during a press conference held as part of the film’s promotions in Kochi.

The director also applauded Mohanlal for his performance in this film. "I've always worked to utilize his skillful acting to the fullest in my movies. People adore him for his versatility as a performer. He only agreed to this project because he enjoyed the story that I and the film's co-writer, Santhi Mayadevi, narrated to him," he said.

He also talked about how Mohanlal and producer Antony Perumbavoor have confidence in him as a filmmaker. He went on, "My main concern before every meeting to narrate a story is if Lal sir would like it."

Also Read: A real picture of court procedures, says Mohanlal about Jeethu Joseph's Neru 

Neru releasing a day before Salaar

Jeethu mentioned that he was not sceptical about releasing the film close to Prashant Neel’s Salaar: Part 1- Ceasefire. “It is up to the audience to choose what they want to watch,” he said. Salaar, starring Prabhas and Prithviraj Sukumaran, will be releasing worldwide on December 22.

Also Read: Neru trailer review – Mohanlal and Jeethu Joseph promise a solid, intriguing courtroom drama 

Jeethu Joseph’s 17th directorial

Neru is all set to be released on December 21. The courtroom drama will be available for streaming on Disney+ Hotstar after running in theatres. Antony Perumbavoor is producing the film under the banner of Aashirvad Cinemas. Priyamani, Jagadish, Siddique, and Anaswara Rajan are also playing lead roles in this movie. Neru’s trailer was released on December 9.

Jeethu’s previous hits, Drishyam, Drishyam 2 and 12th Man, had Mohanlal playing the lead role. Drishyam won the Kerala State Film Awards for Best Popular Film and Special Jury Awards in 2013. The film was also adapted into Telugu, Hindi, and Tamil. The public gave the movie and its sequel a great deal of praise for the performances and engaging script.

Watch Month of Madhu on OTTplay by subscribing to the Simply South pack which provides access to 14 OTTs at just Rs 199/month