Mar 30, 2025 05:23 PM IST
Actor Mohanlal issued an apology after L2: Empuraan faced backlash over references to the Gujarat riots.
The controversy around Southern superstar Mohanlal’s new movie ‘Empuraan’ doesn’t seem to die down even though the actor has issued a formal apology. The actor acknowledged the discomfort some segments of the film had caused to the fans and assured them that his team had decided to remove such references.
“I have come to know that some political and social themes that were included in the unveiling of Empuran, the second part of the Lucifer franchise, have caused considerable distress among many of my loved ones,” the actor wrote in a Facebook post.
The film, which is a sequel to the 2019 blockbuster, Lucifer, has sparked backlash from the larger right of the Indian political spectrum.
Amidst the intense criticism unleashed by Sangh Parivar against some portions of the movie, a war of words has been triggered between the BJP and Congress.
Meanwhile, the production team of ‘Empuraan’ has announced that the film will undergo revisions in response to the controversy.
According to reports, 17 scenes, including those featuring riot sequences and depictions of violence against women, will be edited out.
The Empuraan controversy revolves around a sequence of the film which depicts the 2002 Gujarat riots. It features one of the perpetrators as the main antagonist. The portrayal of the sensitive issue led to political turmoil in Kerala.
The Empuraan controversy: What happened so far
- The Empuraan controversy was triggered after certain segments of the film received severe criticism over its critique of right-wing politics and the covert mention of the Gujarat riots.
- Organiser, an RSS-linked magazine, called the film a medium of spreading an “anti-Hindu and anti-BJP narrative” that threatens to further divide “an already fractured” India.
- Former Infosys CFO Mohandas Pai, in a social media post, said that Mohandas celebrating the success of the move was a ‘big shame.’ He also called the movie “a big propaganda film based on fake narratives.”
- A Congress party activist slammed Pai and said that true patriotism is about courage, not blind conformity. “This film is a bold voice for justice—something fake nationalists like u will never understand,” she said.
- The Congress party and Left parties have accused the BJP of showing intolerance towards the movie.
- BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar made it clear that he won’t watch the Mohanlal-starrer L2: Empuraan’ and said any movie that tries to build a story by distorting the truth is doomed to fail.
- Actor Mohanlal issued an apology after L2: Empuraan faced backlash over references to the Gujarat riots. Taking to his Facebook, Mohanlal assured his fans that “such subjects” would be removed from the film.
- The makers have reportedly decided to make some changes to the film. As per Times of India, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has ordered 17 changes to the Mohanlal-starrer.
- Amidst the raging row, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan watched the “L2: Empuraan” along with his family members at a multiplex theatre.
- ‘L2: Empuraan’, which had its worldwide release on Thursday, had 4,500 shows in 746 screens in Kerala alone on the opening day, sources said.
