Jithu Madhavan has confirmed that his film with Mohanlal has been dropped. The Aavesham director spoke about it in an English interview with Baradwaj Rangan for Galatta Plus, which the official Scene handle shared on X on October 27 as his first interview for the film. The Mohanlal question comes up at 17:13.
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Why it did not happen
Asked what happened to the project, Jithu said it had been dropped. He explained that he wrote the script with Mohanlal in mind, and said it was not easy to rework something written for one actor for another, since he "cannot suddenly switch" midway.
He then gave his reading of the problem, framing it as "my understanding" rather than a final word. The film needed too many shooting days, with a lot of action sequences. He said he tried to cut it down to a normal schedule but could not make that work for this story, and that it was hard to ask Mohanlal for so many days when the actor is working on films back to back. He did not say who called it off, and added that he was unsure whether it was the right thing to discuss in an interview.
That fits what was reported when the project first surfaced. Manorama reported in December 2024 that the film was planned with a 140-day shoot.
The timeline
- **December 14, 2024:** Cinema Express reports, citing sources, that Sree Gokulam Movies will produce the film.
- **December 19, 2024:** During Barroz promotions, Mohanlal tells the media he is doing a film with "the director of Aavesham", as reported by India Today.
- **August 18, 2026:** Mohanlal shares a glimpse of his seven upcoming projects on X. The directors named are Vishnu Mohan, Anoop Sathyan, Priyadarshan, Dileesh Pothan, Sathyan Anthikad, Jude Anthany Joseph and Jeethu Joseph. Jithu Madhavan is not on the list.
- **October 27, 2026:** Jithu confirms in the Galatta Plus interview that the film has been dropped.
What Mohanlal has lined up
Athimanoharam: Tharun Moorthy; December 24 release, final edit locked
Operation Ganga: Vishnu Mohan, Sree Gokulam Movies; no release date yet
Anoop Sathyan film: Set to go on floors in November
Priyadarshan's 100th film: No date yet
Nedumkandam Miracle: Dileesh Pothan; no date yet
Sathyan Anthikad, Jeethu Joseph and Jude Anthany Joseph films: No date yet
The nearest release is Athimanoharam, which has locked its edit for Christmas. Operation Ganga wrapped its first schedule around October 25, as per reports.
Next up for Jithu: Scene
Jithu made Romancham (2023) and Aavesham (2024), and is credited with the story, screenplay and dialogues of Chidambaram's Balan: The Boy, as per its CBFC certificate. His next release is Scene, his Tamil debut, with Suriya. Zhagaram Studios has confirmed a worldwide release on November 6, for Diwali.
