Antony Perumbavoor has spoken on record for the first time about Mohanlal's trimmed role in Rajinikanth's Jailer 2. Speaking to the media, the Aashirvad Cinemas producer said, in our translation, "That's not something that makes us Malayalis happy, is it? We share that unhappiness too," as reported by Manorama Online and Kerala Kaumudi.
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Both outlets read his answer as a sign that Mohanlal and his team did not know about the cuts in advance. That is their reading of the remark. Antony did not say so in the quoted line.
How the Jailer 2 cut played out
Jailer 2 reached theatres in mid-October, with Mohanlal returning as Mathew. Here is how the story built up.
October 15: Costume designer Jishad Shamsudeen said three of Mohanlal's distinct looks were cut entirely, and even his two-second trailer glimpse was trimmed. A day later he clarified that he had reacted as a fan. Read our report.
Release day: Mimicry artist Joby Kodakara, Mohanlal's stand-in, posted photos of himself in the Mathew costume, which set off body double rumours. Our October 18 explainer looked at how body doubles work.
By October 21: Action director Chethan D'Souza replied "It's him" to a fan asking whether the climax car scene used a double, as India Today reported. Our October 20 story has the details.
Undated interview: Joby later said on a YouTube channel that only one or two shots of his hands and legs were used in the climax, with his face not shown, as reported by India Today.
Sun Pictures and director Nelson Dilipkumar have not publicly commented on the cuts. Mohanlal has not posted about the film on X since its release.
Antony on Athimanoharam
In a separate answer, about what he expects from Mohanlal's next release, Antony set a careful tone, as Reporter Live reported. In our translation, he said, "Just because he comes with a twirled moustache, nobody should expect a film like Narasimham. Expect it only as a Tharun Moorthy film with a twirled moustache." He added that they are hoping and praying for the biggest success.
Mohanlal plays a police sub-inspector in the film, his second with Tharun Moorthy.
Athimanoharam: what is confirmed
Release: December 24 (official)
Director: Tharun Moorthy (official)
Writer: Ratheesh Ravi (official)
Producer: Ashiq Usman, Ashiq Usman Productions (official)
Mohanlal's role: SI T.S. Lovelajan (official)
Cast: Meera Jasmine as his wife (reported, Kerala TV)
Music: Jakes Bejoy (reported)
Kerala distribution: Central Pictures (reported, Kerala TV)
For more, see our Mohanlal upcoming movies guide.
What else is on Mohanlal's slate
Antony's banner is also behind L368, which launched with a pooja this morning. Earlier this week, Jithu Madhavan explained why his film with Mohanlal was dropped.
