'My wife and children never denied me entry to the house for acting in Churuli, I used that money for my family'

Actor Jaffer Idukki has spoken out in response to the ongoing controversy surrounding the Malayalam film Churuli. Known for his role as a toddy shop owner in the film, Jaffer dismissed the criticism regarding the film’s language and clarified that his participation in Churuli did not cause any personal fallout at home.

Addressing remarks made by actor Joju George during a recent press conference, Jaffer questioned the labelling of certain words used in Churuli as expletives. "I am just an ordinary man. After working on the film, I returned home as usual—my wife and children have never denied me food or entry to the house for acting in that film. I come from a devout religious family, which even includes Muslim scholars. People from such backgrounds are unlikely to watch Churuli in the first place. Who gets to decide what constitutes foul language? Many of the words criticised today were once commonly used in our region. In other places, the same words might even carry positive meanings," he said.

Jaffer further emphasised that the issue is being unnecessarily prolonged. "Churuli is a film that many people have already seen. There's no need to keep revisiting this topic when there are far more pressing concerns in the world—some are even warning about the possibility of a third world war. We should be focusing on that and hoping it doesn't happen. Director Lijo Jose Pellissery cast me in Churuli after seeing my performance in Jallikattu. I bought rice with the money I earned from that role. My wife and children used that money. They never asked why I acted in that film. Acting is my profession," Jaffer Idukki said.

Earlier, Joju George had revealed that his daughter was shown a troll video by a classmate mocking the language used in Churuli. He added that his daughter had come home and told him he shouldn’t have acted in that film. The controversy between Joju and director Lijo Jose Pellissery is reportedly centred around issues related to payment for the film. Pellissery has also publicly responded to the matter.