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Malayalam director Alphonse Puthren announces retirement from cinema citing mental health issue

In a post, which he deleted later, the filmmaker revealed that he had Autism Spectrum Disorder which he found out about on his own.

BySouth First Desk

Published Oct 30, 2023 | 3:19 PM ⚊UpdatedOct 30, 2023 | 3:20 PM

Alphonse Puthren. (Supplied)

Malayalam director Alphonse Puthren on Monday, 30 October, shocked his fans by announcing his retirement from the mainstream cinema owing to mental health issue.

However, after his Instagram post about the same went viral, the filmmaker deleted it.

In the shocking post, Alphonse Puthren revealed that he was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder which he found out about on his own and that he didn’t want to be a burden to anyone.

However, the director, who became a sensation in both Kerala and Tamil Nadu after Premam (2015), said he would continue to do songs, videos, short films, and OTT ventures.

Surprisingly, he deleted the post after it went viral on social media.

“I’m stopping my cinema theatre career. I have Autism Spectrum Disorder which I found out yesterday on my own. I don’t want to be a burden to anyone else. I will continue doing songs and videos and short films and maximum on OTT. I don’t want to quit cinema, but I have no other option. I don’t want to make promises that I can’t keep. When health is weak or unpredictable, life brings a twist like an interval punch (sic),” Alphonse Puthren wrote on Instagram.

Trolled for Gold

Alphonse Puthren is now working on his new Tamil movie Gift, which has music composed by Ilayaraja.

The movie casts Kovai Sarla, Sandy, Sahana Sarvesh, and Sampath Raj in significant roles.

His previous outing with Prithviraj Sukumaran — Gold (2022) evoked a lukewarm response, and the director was trolled on social media.

In response to the trolling, the director said, “f you are trolling me and telling bad things about me and my film Gold for your satisfaction… it is good for you. Not for me.”

He added, “So I’m protesting by not showing my face on the internet. I’m not your slave, and I did not give you the right to tease me or abuse me in public. So see my works if you like. And don’t come to my page and show your anger. If you do so, I’ll just become invisible on the internet.”