Gajraj Rao takes a dig at 'mediocre' Hindi cinema, calls out 'soulless remakes' and 'obsession with box office'

Actor Gajraj Rao is a self-proclaimed fan of actor Fahadh Faasil and he has heaped praise on his film Joji, a dark comedy crime drama, directed by Dileesh Pothan. The Badhaai Ho actor has also taken a dig at Hindi cinema, calling out "tireless promotions" and "obsession with box office".

Sharing a clip from Joji on Thursday, Rao wrote on Instagram, "Dear Dileesh Pothan and other Malayalam filmmakers (especially Fahadh Faasil & Friends), I recently watched 'Joji' and I'm sorry to say this, but I have a bone to pick with all of you. Enough is enough. It is not fair that you are constantly coming up with original ideas and executing them with utmost sincerity, making actually good cinema. You need to learn a thing or two from other regional cinema, and especially us here in Hindi. You need to do some mediocre work also. Where are the tiring marketing campaigns and promotions? Where are the soulless remakes? Where is the obsession with weekend box office collections? This is too much."

"I hope you will not take any of this seriously, and continue the good work you are doing. In a non-pandemic world, I'll always be ready with the popcorn for your films, first day first show. Sincerely, Gajraj Rao Chairman (self-proclaimed), Fahadh Faasil Fan Club (Northern Region)• • • • • •," he also wrote.

The Malayalam language film, inspired by Macbeth, premiered on Amazon Prime Video last week. Speaking to PTI, Fahadh had said that the film's narrative is not a direct adaptation of Macbeth. The story revolves around Fahadh's character, Joji, who is an engineering dropout living with his father and two brothers. After his father becomes unwell, Joji looks forward to getting his share in the property but his dreams are crushed when his father starts recuperating. This forces him to take an extreme step.

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The film is the third collaboration between Fahadh and Dileesh. Earlier they worked on Maheshinte Prathikaaram, a 2016 comedy-drama, and Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum, a National Award-winning feature.