The makers of Empuraan, the Mohanlal-starring film, have faced significant pressure from Hindus, leading to the deletion of 24 scenes and a total reduction of 2.08 minutes from the movie. This action follows backlash from the Sangh Parivar, including the RSS, which accused the film of portraying the 2002 Gujarat riots without showing the Godhra train burning incident that sparked the violence. Among the changes made to the film are alterations to the antagonist’s name, from Bajrangi to Baldev, removal of the ‘NIA’ nameplate from a car, and the deletion of a scene depicting violence against a pregnant woman.
The name change of the character Bajrangi to Baldev was reportedly due to concerns that it resembled Babu Bajrangi, a leader of the Gujarat wing of the Bajrang Dal, who was involved in the Gujarat riots case (though he was later acquitted). Additionally, a thanks card to BJP MP and actor Suresh Gopi was removed in the re-edited version of the film.
Despite the controversies, Antony Perumbavoor of Aashirvad Cinemas, the film’s production company, refuted claims that Mohanlal was unaware of the movie’s storyline. Speaking to the media, Antony clarified that Mohanlal had watched the full movie before its release and was fully aware of its content. He also dismissed allegations that director Prithviraj Sukumaran was being isolated by the team, emphasizing that the film was made with collective agreement and not to provoke controversy.
Antony further denied that the decision to resubmit the film for cuts came under pressure from right-wing groups. “We felt the need to correct what we understood to be mistakes,” he stated, asserting that the filmmakers had always been committed to creating films they believed were right. The re-edited version of Empuraan is expected to release soon, though the exact timeline remains unclear.
“L2: Empuraan,” released on March 27, 2025, was marketed as Mohanlal’s grand return to the big screen, a sequel to “Lucifer” that would take Malayalam cinema to new heights. Instead, it has turned out to be nothing more than a deceitful propaganda film that shamelessly vilifies Hindus, the BJP, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Directed by Prithviraj Sukumaran and written by Murali Gopy, the movie is a blatant attempt at pushing a leftist agenda under the guise of storytelling.
