Nivin Pauly was not the initial choice for the lead role in Hey Jude, says producer

Anil Ambalakkara, the producer of the 2018 Malayalam film Hey Jude, starring Nivin Pauly and Trisha Krishnan in lead roles, recently spoke about the initial casting of the film and the hardships he faced during the shoot. He revealed that Nivin demanded a large sum for starring in the film and said he would not complete the dubbing if he didn't receive the amount. Anil also said that he incurred a loss of ₹4 crore from the film.

"After the project took off, I had a conversation with Nivin and gave him an advance payment of ₹25 lakh. Director Shyamaprasad told me that Nivin's remuneration would be below ₹1 crore. However, when we were about to sign the agreement, Nivin demanded more than the agreed amount. This was the first time in my experience that an actor did not quote their remuneration upfront and asked for more later. He even refused to dub for the film unless he was given the amount he asked for," Anil said in an interview to Master Bin.

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'Kalidas Jayaram was the first choice for the lead role'

Anil revealed that Hey Jude was initially planned as a campus film, but the plan changed later on. Initially, Kalidas Jayaram was considered as the male lead, and he agreed to it after the script was narrated to him. The project was initially planned with a small budget, but it became big after Shyamaprasad recommended Nivin for the lead role because of his satellite value.

The producer also said that Nivin was not disciplined and left the film crew stranded when he would leave the film set to attend inaugurations and shows. According to Anil, the poor performance of Nivin's previous release, Richie, also affected Hey Jude's prospects at the box office.

Hey Jude's plot

Hey, Jude is a romantic drama that was released in 2018. Nivin plays Jude in the film, a man with Asperger's Syndrome who lives with his ignorant parents. Unable to blend in with others, Jude keeps his own company to observe the world and understand what's right and wrong with it, until he meets Crystal (Trisha), an outgoing woman with her own set of problems.

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