Following the uproar by Hindutva supporters against Mohanlal movie L2: Empuraan, its makers have deleted 24 scenes, including a 29-second scene depicting violence against Muslim women.
L2: Empuraan, a sequel to the 2019 film Lucifer, centered around the 2002 Gujarat riots, was cleared by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and released on March 27. Soon after its release, supporters from Hindutva groups mainly the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) started a hate campaign against the movie alleging it antagonised Hindu community. RSS mouthpiece Organizer stated that the movie was using the 2002 Gujarat riots to push an “anti-Hindu political agenda.”
Kerala BJP chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar to boycott controversial film ‘Empuraan’
The makers of the movie have deleted a total of 2 minutes and 8 seconds which includes the Godhra train burning, brutal violence against the Muslim community during the Gujarat riots, change in name of the antagonist character “Baba Bajrangi”, loosely based on Bajrang Dal leader Babu Bajrangi, who famously admitted on camera of ripping a Muslim woman’s foetus and feeling like Rajput king Maharana Pratap; and muting of some of the dialogues.
Additionally, the makers of L2: Empuraan have also removed mentions of Union minister Suresh Gopi, IRS office Jyothis Mohan, Sangh Parivar politics and references to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Other deletions include conversations between Masood and Zayed Masood (played by Prithviraj).
It should be noted that during the 2002 Gujarat riots, PM Narendra Modi was the chief minister of the state.
Mohanlal issues apology
On March 30, Malayalam superstar Mohanlal, who plays a pivotal role, issued an apology for L2: Empuraan.
The actor took to Facebook to express regret over the “emotional distress” caused by the film and confirmed that the contentious scenes would be removed.
‘Empuraan’ movie row: Mohanlal apologises after backlash from RSS, BJP
In his post, Mohanlal said, “I understand that certain socio-political themes introduced in the making of ‘Empuraan’, the sequel to the ‘Lucifer’ franchise, have caused considerable mental distress among some of my loving fans. As an artist, it is my duty to ensure that none of my films harbour hatred towards any political movement, ideology, or religious group.”
He added, “We, the Empuraan team and I, sincerely regret the distress caused to our beloved viewers. We acknowledge our collective responsibility and have decided to remove the objectionable content from the film.”
