Malayalam filmmaker Jude Anthany Joseph claims 'ungrateful' Antony Varghese took ₹10 lakh, opted out of project

Malayalam filmmaker Jude Anthany Joseph said that he felt 'cheated' after Antony Varghese took an advance of ₹10 lakh, opted out of project.

Malayalam filmmaker Jude Anthany Joseph has said that he feels cheated by actor Antony Varghese. In a new interview, Jude said that he was supposed to produce a film with Antony Varghese aka PePe. Jude claimed that Antony had taken an amount of ₹10 lakh which he had paid him as an advance for the project. (Also Read | Producer Sandra Thomas acknowledges rampant use of drugs in Malayalam industry, urges strict action)

Jude Anthany Joseph (L) has spoken about Antony Varghese (R).

Antony, however, opted out of the project and repaid the amount much later. Jude said that more than the drug issue that has plagued the Malayalam industry, it is the ‘lack of humanity’ that’s more worrying.

In an interview with Movie World Media, Jude spoke about Antony, “It is not fine to forget where you come from and be ungrateful. We are talking about Shane Nigam and Srinath Bhasi, who have been accused of consuming drugs. That’s not the real problem. The biggest problem is the lack of humanity. There is someone in the industry named Antony Varghese. Everyone thinks he is a very good person. There was a film I was supposed to produce with Pepe. It was directed by one of my associates. Varghese took an advance of ₹10 lakh from the film’s co-producer and my friend Arvind for his sister’s wedding and then, 18 days before the commencement of the film, he opted out."

Jude further added that Antony returned the money. However, he took so much time and ‘there are many ungrateful people like him in the industry’ who take advance and opt out of projects. “After paying advance and the actor opts out of the film, you feel cheated. Varghese is such an unqualified person. If Pellissery hadn’t brought him to the industry, there wouldn’t have been any need to tolerate people like Varghese," he added.

Antony made his acting debut with Lijo Jose Pellissery directed Angamaly Diaries. He’s also popular for his work in films such as Jallikkattu and Poovan.

Jude Anthany’s latest release was the Malayalam film 2018, a disaster drama based on the 2018 Kerala floods. The film is having a sensational run at the box office. In its opening weekend, the film grossed over ₹12 crore from the Kerala market.