A still from ‘Empuraan’; logo of FEFKA
The Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA) has condemned the personal attacks that Malayalam superstar Mohanlal and filmmaker Prithviraj Sukumaran have been facing after the release of their movie Empuraan.
In a social media post, the federation said that it welcomes constructive criticism against the movie.
“We welcome criticism of cinema’s form and content. An art form can evolve only through constructive criticism. However, criticism should not amount to personal abuse, and threats, regardless of political or religious affiliations. The crux of any true criticism is not to silence the views of those on the other side but to permit them to express their views. The federation is with all those who worked behind the movie, it,” said the statement.
Quoting a dialogue from the film — “You can destroy a man, but you cannot defeat him” — the film body said “this is what art and the art communities are always telling the world.”
Ever since the film’s release on Thursday (March 27, 2025), Mohanlal and Prithviraj have been at the receiving end of criticism as well as abusive comments from right-wing social media accounts over what appears to be references to the 2002 Gujarat pogrom in the film.
Earlier on Sunday, superstar Mohanlal issued a statement addressing concerns surrounding the film’s political and social themes. The actor acknowledged that certain aspects of the film had caused distress to some of his fans and assured them that the 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 Empuraan, the second part of the Lucifer franchise, have caused considerable distress among many of my loved ones,” the actor wrote in a Facebook post. ”As an artist, it is my duty to ensure that none of my films promote hatred towards any political movement, ideology, or religious group. Therefore, both I and the Empuraan team express our sincere regret for the distress caused to my dear ones, and we all take responsibility for it, with the realization that such issues must be removed from the film,” he wrote in Malayalam.
”For the past four decades, it is you, the audience, who have been a part of my cinematic journey. Your love and trust are my strength. I believe there is no Mohanlal beyond that,” he added.
The production team of Empuraan then announced that the film would undergo revisions in response to the controversy. 17 scenes, including those featuring riot sequences and depictions of violence against women, were edited out. However, despite these “voluntary cuts,” the makers of the film continue to face verbal attacks from right-wing organisations and leaders. On Monday, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) State vice-president B. Gopalakrishnan stirred up a controversy after he called film producer Supriya Menon, Prithviraj’s spouse, an “urban naxal.”
Meanwhile, Minister for Cultural Affairs Saji Cherian lauded Prithviraj’s courage in making the film and said that the makers should also show the courage to screen the entire film without re-editing.
Despite the backlash, L2: Empuraan achieved remarkable success at the box office, becoming the first Malayalam movie to gross Rs 80 crore worldwide on its opening weekend.
Published – March 31, 2025 08:00 pm IST
