Welcome to India Press Live, with breaking news from Thiruvananthapuram! The Malayalam movie L2 Empuraan is making waves in the film industry as it undergoes 17 cuts due to controversy surrounding its references to the 2002 Gujarat riots. The film’s production team has confirmed that a new version will be released next week, with scenes depicting violence against women and riots being cut, the antagonist’s name changed, and certain dialogues muted.
Gokulam Gopalan, the producer, stated that the cuts were made to avoid hurting the sentiments of some viewers, even though the film had already cleared the Censor. The director and actor-filmmaker Prithviraj Sukumaran has reportedly agreed to the changes.
The movie, starring Mohanlal, is the second installment in the Lucifer trilogy and has already surpassed the 86 crore mark within two days of its release. Despite its success, L2 Empuraan has sparked political controversy.
The BJP has not protested against the film, but state party chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar expressed disappointment and stated that he would not watch it. He criticized the movie for its alleged distortion of truth and stated that any film attempting to build a story in this manner is destined to fail.
BJP leader V Muraleedharan emphasized that individuals are entitled to their opinions as film lovers but reiterated the party’s stand as communicated by the state president. K Ganesh, state general secretary of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, called for an investigation into Prithviraj’s alleged “foreign connections” and labeled his movies as “anti-national.”
The RSS, the BJP’s ideological parent, criticized L2 Empuraan in its publication Organiser, describing it as a “disturbing, divisive tale disguised as cinema.” Social media users have also voiced their opposition to the movie, Prithviraj, and Mohanlal.
In contrast, the Congress has supported the film, highlighting the intolerance displayed by the Sangh Parivar. A senior CPM leader and Kerala minister, V Sivankutty, emphasized the importance of freedom of expression and opposed any actions to suppress it.
