Pani on OTT: Joju George on directing his first Malayalam film, poor reviews, and more

Directing was always a lifelong dream. There were many instances where I could have directed earlier, but opportunities to act in films like Joseph took precedence. When the chance came to direct Pani, I knew it was time. It was a test or like an entrance examination —not just of my filmmaking skills but of everything I’ve learned in my life. Bringing Pani to the theatres was one of the biggest creative gambles of my life and career. But I had a strong team who believed in me and they put their best into it. I set out to make a mass commercial film and I succeeded.

Something about her face struck me. It spoke to me instantly. I saw a photograph of her hugging her mother and at that point I was impressed by how well she suited the role. Later, I realised that she was specially-abled but her disability wasn't what defined her. Despite the lack of translators to assist us as she couldn't hear or speak, I acted out the scenes myself to communicate with her. We connected seamlessly, and she understood my vision perfectly. To be honest, many actresses rejected the role because it was my first film as a director or wasn't comfortable with the scenes. But I wasn’t directing for money—I was doing it to create something meaningful. The grammar and aesthetics of the film mattered more to me than anything else.

I’ve acted in over 120 films and I have worked my way up to directing. In all my years, I’ve seen that male junior artists often face worse treatment than the female junior artists on set in Kerala. At least, the women have basic facilities, but the men didn't even get that ... The system in Kerala has to change. But honestly, I don't want to talk about my hustle or my struggles to reach this point in my career. All I will say is that there's no denying that it's an issue that needs more attention.

I did not think of shooting that scene through the lens of gender or the male gaze. All I knew was that those scenes shouldn’t look awkward or shouldn’t be shot in a way that hurts anyone, especially my co-star who's specially-abled. I wouldn't able to live with myself if I hurt her by making that scene exploitative. At every step, I was sensitive about that scene not being sexually gratuitous. All I set out to do was not to dilute the intensity of that violent scene. The focus of that scene was on the guys getting aggressive with her and her trauma and her wails. It was the most difficult scene, but I wanted that segment to work and aid the film. That scene is followed by an interval. Then it cuts to her mother-in-law (played brilliantly by Seema as this stoic matriarch) visiting her, and then the husband breaking down helplessly. When we were writing and finalising the actress, I kept in mind the sensitivity of that scene. All I knew was that the scene had to powerful but also not appear exploitative.

When it came to 'Pani', more than forty five families depended on the success of this movie. While I respect constructive criticism, it’s unfair to deliberately malign a film and I truly believe that his intentions were not that simple. The incident with that vlogger was all about him maligning my movie to damage the film deliberately. He posted his negative review to 25 other pages, ensuring it reached as many people as possible right after my movie's release. It was a deliberate effort to tear my movie down. This wasn’t about the movie—it was about dissing me personally. I even called him to address it, but he twisted the situation further. It’s degrading when a film you’ve worked so hard on is targeted like this. He was being personal. I am all right if he had criticised my acting, but to target my film and slam it on several pages seemed like an orchestrated smear campaign. I am not intolerant to criticism. I remember how a director had told me that he hated my acting in 'Irrata', wouldn't hire me for his next film because he truly believed I was a poor actor, but I didn't take it personally because he is entitled to his opinion. Everybody is entitled to their opinion. But this vlogger made it his business to post his review and share it to dozens of pages and sites, in a deliberate attempt to tarnish my film.

About your question whether I would do it differently, maybe I shouldn't have called him on his phone because he doctored that call and made it appear like I was threatening him.

I started with small roles and worked my way up. Directing Pani was a culmination of years of learning and hustling. Its success is a testament to the hard work of our entire team. I’m thrilled that it did such great box-offie business in the UAE and is being spoken about as this enjoyable entertainer for the masses. I make movies to entertain. I came up the hard way and I am proud of that journey.