We have requested enough: Director's wife on Ahaana Krishna not promoting ‘Nancy Rani’

The wife of late director Joseph Manu James has stated that actress Ahaana Krishna did not cooperate with the promotions of ‘Nancy Rani’, the film directed by her late husband. Naina, Joseph Manu James' wife, said that Ahaana has refused to participate in the promotional activities despite being a lead actor in the film.

Joseph Manu James passed away two years ago, and since then, Naina has taken over the film’s production and release responsibilities. According to her, Ahaana has not extended even basic humanitarian consideration by refusing to support the promotions. Naina shared these concerns during a press meet for the film.

At the press conference held in Kochi, Ahaana Krishna was notably absent, while other actors, including Aju Varghese, Sohan Seenulal, and Devi Ajith, were present. Naina mentioned that there had been minor issues between Ahaana and her late husband, but since three years had passed since those incidents, she believes Ahaana should have set aside differences and cooperated.

"I spoke to Ahaana personally. The PR team and production team also reached out to her. Maybe there were issues when Manu was alive, and she still hasn’t let them go. But three years have passed. It’s natural to show some humanitarian consideration. Differences should be put aside, and she should have cooperated. I don’t know why she isn’t. There are a lot of struggles, but I don’t want to talk about them publicly. Right now, I feel it’s best to remain silent. When a lead actor refuses to participate in marketing or promotions, you can imagine how difficult things are," Naina said.

She further clarified that Ahaana had been fully paid for her role and that the agreement required her to participate in promotions. "As Aju Chettan said, rather than pushing and forcing someone to cooperate, it’s better to move forward without them. If this results in a loss, we will bear it ourselves. We have requested as much as possible. What more can we do? If an apology is needed for something, we have already done that," she added.

Joseph Manu James passed away on February 25, 2023, due to jaundice. His unexpected demise occurred while ‘Nancy Rani’ was preparing for release.

‘Nancy Rani’ tells the story of a young woman and Mammootty’s ardent fan, whose dream of becoming an actress takes an unexpected turn. The film features a star-studded cast, including Aju Varghese, Arjun Ashokan, Lal, Sreenivasan, Sunny Wayne, Vaishak Nair, Mallika Sukumaran, Indrans, Lena, Mamukkoya, and many others.