Confirming the “voluntary cuts” being considered for the movie L2: Empuraan following right wing backlash, actor Mohanlal expressed “regret” on his and the Empuraan team’s behalf for “the distress caused to my loved ones.”
In a Facebook post published on Sunday (March 30, 2025) soon after Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan as well as Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan expressed solidarity to the film and its makers, he said it is his duty as an artist to ensure that none of his films harbours hatred towards any political movement, ideology or religious sect.
“I know that some of the political and social themes that have been introduced in the making of the film ‘Empuraan’, the second part of the ‘Lucifer’ franchise, have caused great distress to many of my loved ones. The ‘Empuraan’ team and I sincerely regret the distress caused to my loved ones, and with the realisation that the responsibility for it lies with all of us who worked behind the film, we have decided together to remove such themes from the film. I have lived my film career as one of you for the past four decades. Your love and trust are my only strength. I believe that there is no Mohanlal who is greater than that,” said Mohanlal.
‘L2: Empuraan’ movie review: Mohanlal, rich production design fail to save this sequel
Ever since the film’s release on Thursday (March 27, 2025), Mohanlal and Prithviraj has 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.
Following right-wing backlash, makers of ‘L2: Empuraan’ to make 17 ‘voluntary cuts’
Although the leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)‘s Kerala unit said on Saturday (March 29, 2025) that the party is not part of any campaign against the movie, many associated with the party continued to make statements against it. On Saturday (March 29, 2025), the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)‘s mouthpiece Organiser published an article accusing the makers of “exploiting post-Godhra riots to push an anti-Hindu political agenda that poses a serious threat to societal harmony.”
Empuraan, which says the events portrayed are all fictional, begins with extensive sequences of a communal flare-up which runs to more than 15 minutes. While the images in the title sequences appear to be referencing the burning of a coach of the Sabarmati Express carrying saffron-clad men at Godhra railway station, the opening scenes depict mob violence in which several Muslims are killed. Some of the sequences appear to be a reference to the Bilkis Bano case in which 11 men were convicted for the gang-rape and murder of several members of a family. Baba Bajrangi, the antagonist who leads the mob, appears to be a reference to Bajrang Dal leader Babu Bajrangi who was sentenced to life imprisonment for masterminding the Naroda Patiya massacre.
Published – March 30, 2025 02:04 pm IST
