Mohanlal body double controversy has been the topic of the day as questions are being raised regarding the Malayalam superstar’s appearance in Rajinikanth’s action entertainment Jailer 2’s climax. Jobi Kodakara, who had been replacing Mohanlal for a few shots, posted pictures of his own on Instagram, fueling the rumours that he was wearing Mohanlal’s character from the movie. After the debate went online, both Jobi and the action director of the film, Chethan Ramshi D’Souza, took the towing companies to task to clarify the situation around Mohanlal’s role in the controversial sequence.
In an interview with Jango Space, Jobi Kodakara said that only one or two of his hands and legs were kept in the cut. “These shots are in the airport part of the movie, near the end and are closeups of people changing gears while driving and pressing the gas. Jobi also explained why his face does not feature in the movie and denied the claims that the face that viewers asked in the climax of the movie belonged to him. His explanation clarified his limited works as a Stand-in from the broader rumours surfacing online.
With the speculation hanging in the air, the film’s action director Chethan Ramshi D’Souza has also come out with a statement. A fan asked him if Mohanlal himself was in the controversial scene and Chethan answered, “It’s him.” He rebutted the reports of Mohanlal being replaced by a body double in that scene. While the clarification covered the central rumour, it did not provide any reasons as to why they needed someone to replace them in the separate close-ups. Jobi said that time or scheduling constraints may have been at play, but it was his guess as to what the reason was, not a fact from the filmmakers themselves.
The controversy has also come up to light Mohanlal’s screen time in Jailer 2. There has been some dismay at his cameo appearance, and doubts about whether any of his introduction or other scenes were edited out. The images Jobi shot on set brought the conversation to light, some viewers speculating about the use of a double or AI in the climax. The statements made available, however, did not prove the use of AI to replace Mohanlal and Jobi explicitly said it was not him. The reason for the cuts to certain scenes, as reported, is not part of this clarification and the action director did not give any explanation for the cuts.
Overall, it seems the Mohanlal body double Jailer 2 news was largely fueled by speculations linking to a few seconds in the climactic scene where the actor was switched instead of evidence of his replacement throughout the movie. Jobi Kodakara said that he had very little to do with this and Chethan Ramshi D’Souza said that Mohanlal himself was present in the controversial car scene. The episode demonstrates the power of behind-the-scenes pictures and brief behind-the-camera appearances to get people talking online, especially if well known celebrities are cast as guests. The initial difference is apparent already – the stand-in was reportedly used for a few close-ups but the idea that he was replacing Mohanlal in the climax car sequence was denied by the film’s action director.
