{
  "id": 440761,
  "title": "Jude Anthany Joseph clears the air on Mohanlal ‘secondary artist’ remark, says Ayushmann Khurrana not to blame",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/10/jude-anthany-joseph-clears-the-air-on-mohanlal-secondary-artist",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-10T05:27:17.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Gulf News",
    "slug": "gulf-news",
    "url": "https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/jude-anthany-joseph-clears-the-air-on-mohanlal-secondary-artist-remark-says-ayushmann-khurrana-not-to-blame-1.500635823"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Jude Anthany Joseph, a Malayalam filmmaker, has clarified a recent controversy that involved Bollywood actor Ayushmann Khurrana. The issue arose after a producer referred to Mohanlal, a senior actor in Malayalam cinema, as a secondary artist, which upset Joseph. Joseph took to social media to address the situation, stating that the producer, not Khurrana, was the one who made the remark. He described their meeting as warm and filled with mutual respect, expressing hope for a future collaboration between the two.\n\nJoseph revealed that the controversy stemmed from a conversation about the film's development. He explained that the script was nearly complete and had already been discussed with the production house. At that point, Joseph asked the producers to confirm Mohanlal's casting. The producers, however, insisted on approving the script first before considering the secondary artists. Joseph saw this as a slight against Mohanlal's stature and chose to leave the project.\n\nKhurrana, for his part, responded positively to Joseph's post. He expressed admiration for Joseph's work and hoped to collaborate with him in the future. He also addressed Mohanlal directly, referring to him as a legend and saying he would consider it an honor to share the screen with him someday.",
  "summary": "A photo and a caption were enough to shut down a controversy that had been building for days. Malayalam filmmaker Jude Anthany Joseph recently revealed that he had walked away from a Bollywood project starring Ayushmann Khurrana, saying he felt disrespected after a producer referred to superstar Mohanlal as a \"secondary artist.\" The comment sparked backlash online, with some assuming Khurrana…",
  "key_points": [
    "Joseph described meeting with producer as warm and respectful, hoping future collaboration.",
    "Khurrana praised Joseph's work, expressed willingness to collaborate with him in future."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Indian Express",
        "title": "Ayushmann Khurrana breaks silence on Mohanlal’s ‘secondary casting’ row: ‘He is a legend’",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/10/ayushmann-khurrana-breaks-silence-on-mohanlals-secondary-casting-row",
        "published": "2026-08-10T10:25:18.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}