Exclusive! John Luther’s Abhijith Joseph: Jayasurya ensures he doesn’t repeat the traits of his previous roles

The debutant filmmaker talks to us about the upcoming investigative thriller, which has Jayasurya playing a police officer

Abhijith Joseph and Jayasurya

Malayalam actor Jayasurya had last year told us that he had opted out of a few projects that he had agreed to before the pandemic as it altered his perspective on the cinema that he wants to be part of. However, one project that he was most enthusiastic about – despite having signed it in 2019 – was Abhijith Joseph’s thriller John Luther and the film’s trailer, which was released on Wednesday, offered glimpses of why.

The positive feedback of the trailer has also buoyed the confidence of debutant director Abhijith, who had waited for almost two years for the film to go on floors. “Jayaettan had given the nod for the movie in 2019 and we were immediately set to go on floors,” says the filmmaker to OTTplay. “But just when we were about to start the shoot, the pandemic lockdown was announced in 2020. After that a lot of thrillers found their way on OTT platforms and then when we about to start again, the second wave of COVID-19 hit.”

The film went on floors only late last year despite being planned well in advance. “However, I believe the content is different from the thrillers that have come out recently and that could also be one of the reasons the trailer has been accepted widely,” he says.

The movie has Jayasurya playing a cop, who suffers partial hearing loss during an investigation. It’s also been a while since the actor was part of a thriller. “He last played a cop in Captain. But his character in this movie is different from the police officers he had essayed in Mumbai Police and other films,” says Abhijith. “All of us know about his talent and how he never tries to repeat his characters. His character in John Luther itself is different because it was challenging for him. But Jayaettan has brought in nuances that just makes the role stand out altogether.”

The director also reveals that the movie will be a theatrical release, which is expected to hit cinema halls by the end of May. “From the trailer itself, it’s obvious that the cop suffers a hearing impairment. So, we have tried to bring in certain aspects in those portions where the sound is muted. In terms of sound, we have also made sure it makes for a different experience while watching in theatres,” Abhijith concludes.

Also read: Exclusive! Jayasurya: The way I choose my films now is different from how it was before the pandemic

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