The RSS mouthpiece Organiser continued to target actor-director Prithviraj Sukumaran over L2:Empuraan, even as the movie shattered records with its massive worldwide opening.
Actor-filmmaker Prithviraj is the director of the movie Empuraan. The Organiser on Sunday acknowledged that the actor-director has shared Mohanlal's Facebook post expressing regret for the distress caused by the movie. The RSS mouthpiece also added that the production team of ‘Empuraan’ has announced that the film will undergo revisions (read: 17 cuts) in response to the controversy.
Thereafter it went on to add: "Prithiviraj is the voice of the anti-nationals and this is evident from the fact that he was among the prominent figures behind the Save Lakshadweep campaign which sought to oppose the progressive measures introduced by the Union Government to modernise the islands, portraying them in a communal light..."
"He was also very vocal during the CAA agitation, urging those opposed to the CAA to ‘rise.’ He was the one who backed the Jamia students during the CAA protests and had stated “revolution is homegrown...," the Organiser went on.
The right-wing targeted the movie for being "anti-Hindu," while a section of left supporters targeted Mohanlal for apologising under pressure from the Sangh Parivar.
The right-wing was the first to target the movie with the Organiser coming out with a scathing attack against the movie. In a piece dated March 29, it said that though the movie begins with the standard disclaimer: "All scenes and characters depicted are fictional, "Yet what followed felt like a deliberate, pointed portrayal --not of fiction but of ideological venom."
By now, following the Sangh Parivar outrage, the makers of L2: Empuraan have voluntarily come forward to make 17 cuts in the movie. Thereafter Mohanlal offered apologies.
Expressing regret for the "distress" caused, Mohanlal said that his films do not intend to promote hatred toward any political ideology, organization, or religious group.
In a post on Facebook, Mohanlal noted, “I have learned that some of my dear well-wishers have been deeply troubled by certain political and social themes in Empuraan. As an artist, it is my responsibility to ensure that none of my films spread animosity toward any political movement, ideology, or religious community. I sincerely regret the distress this has caused, and the Empuraan team and I fully acknowledge our responsibility in this matter. With this realization, we have collectively decided to remove such elements from the film,” Mohanlal wrote.
The director of the film Prithviraj Sukumaran shared Mohanlal's apology on social media.
"Those with firm political stand, when they speak politics will be able to stand firmly behind their statement. If apolitical people talks politics, they won't hesitate to apologize and run for their life," commented an X user targeting Mohanlal.
"Empuraan has received both tremendous appreciation and criticism from various political groups. The film comes at a time when India has witnessed a series of right-wing propaganda movies across multiple languages, making it a strong rebuttal from the secular-minded section of the film industry," Amir Hyder Khan, a B.Arch student at Jamia Millia Islamia, told The New Indian Express.
Amidst the current trend of right-wing propaganda films, Empuraan is a nightmare for communal propagandists in India. Recently, the release of Chaava led to violent clashes between two communities in Nagpur, provoked by right-wing leaders calling for the removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb, citing his oppression of Hindu rulers in the 17th century. This is not an isolated incident—films like The Kashmir Files, The Kerala Story, and Sabarmati Report have followed the same pattern, Amir pointed out.
Empuraan, he added, also offers some lessons to Kerala’s political parties. The film acknowledges the growing influence of the BJP and RSS in the state as a serious threat to communal harmony. This is reflective of real-life politics, as the BJP has won a Lok Sabha seat in Kerala for the first time. Both the LDF and UDF must analyze this shift and counter the rise of communal forces in the state. However, the film also presents some unrealistic solutions, such as glorifying dynastic politics within the Congress, which may work on-screen but cannot be endorsed in reality, he further added.
Meanwhile, the good news for the filmmakers is that Empuraan has shattered records with its massive worldwide opening. The film debuted with a staggering US $19.4 million ( Rs 165 crore) over its first four days dethroning Vicky Kaushal's Chhaava which had previously held the record with US$ 19.1 million.
