Director Sanalkumar Sasidharan has come forward with the allegation of threatening actor Joju George. He wrote on Facebook that when he posted that efforts were being made to hoard the film Chola, an enraged Joju called him on the phone, abused him and threatened to come home and beat him up.
According to Sanalkumar’s Facebook post, Joju said that he was lying when he said that he had the rights over the film in the contract and Cheeta said when he asked if the contract should be published. Sanalkumar adds that when he said that he was recording the phone call and would publish it, he was cut off.
The full version of the Facebook post,
Infuriated by my posting that efforts are being made to hoard the film Chola, Joju George called me on the phone a little ago and threatened to come to my house and beat me up. It seems that he only called because he was irritated by my post, but he was not ready to talk to me despite several attempts to talk about the film. When I told him that I had the rights to the film in the contract, the first thing he said was that I was lying. But when I asked if I should publish the contract, I was again insulted. When I told him that I am recording the call and will publish it, he hung up the phone and left. I only think that I have become one more among those who are going to beat and kill me. But I should know that because I have one-third rights in the movie Chola as per the contract, even if I am beaten or killed, it will not go away and if it has been sold to someone without my knowledge, then the fact remains that the sale contract is invalid.
Last day, Sanalkumar Sasidharan posted on Facebook that Joju had sent a letter to the Hong Kong International Film Festival requesting that the international distribution of the film Chola be stopped. Sanalkumar alleged that what is said in the letter is not true, Joju’s company Appu Pathu Pappu Production House has not spent even a penny for the international distribution of the film, and this letter is a proof that efforts are being made to hoard his films.
Sanalkumar had earlier pointed out that when Chola was withdrawn from theatres, he realized how strong the attack on his films was. Sanalkumar alleges that when he bought ‘Chola’ actor Joju’s Appu Pathu Pappu production company produced by Shaji Mathew, he had one-third rights in the film and there was a clause in the contract that he could share it in the sales of the film and later he was not told how much the sales would be.