Despite making “voluntary cuts” to L2: Empuraan, the makers of the film continue to face verbal attacks from right-wing organisations and leaders.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) State vice-president B. Gopalakrishnan stirred up a controversy after he called film producer Supriya Menon, filmmaker Prithviraj’s spouse, an “urban naxal.”
Meanwhile, Communist Party of India (Marxist) State secretary M.V. Govindan, Minister for Cultural Affairs Saji Cherian and Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal watched the uncut version of the film on Monday. The hastily re-edited version, with less than 3 minutes of content removed, is expected to be uploaded in all cinemas by Tuesday.
Mr. Cherian lauded Prithviraj’s courage in making the film. The makers should also show the courage to screen the entire film without re-editing.
Minister of Culture and Youth Affairs Saji Cherian watch controversial Malayalam movie Empuraan in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday.
PHOTO : BY ARRANGEMENT
| Photo Credit:
PHOTO : BY ARRANGEMENT
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh‘s mouthpiece Organiser published yet another article against the film, this time specifically targeting Prithviraj, calling him the “voice of the anti-nationals.” The article said showcasing the events from Gujarat in the movie is not a coincidence and clearly indicates that Prithiviraj’s aim was to make “a propaganda movie” which “would advance the sinister motives of the leftists, anti-Indians.”
“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 Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) agitation, urging those opposed to the CAA to ‘rise.’ He was the one who backed Jamia students during the CAA protests and had stated ‘revolution is homegrown. Always. #Rise’,” said the Organiser article.
Speaking to the media, Prithviraj’s mother and actor, Mallika Sukumaran, lashed out at the RSS and the Organiser and lauded the Left Democratic Front government and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for standing up for freedom of expression.
“The RSS or Organiser is not going to scare us. They will soon have to correct their mistakes. Neither me or Prithviraj are communists, but the LDF and the CM showed such an admirable attitude by standing with us. A political leader said that from tomorrow we will get to watch an ‘embalmed’ Empuraan. He should ensure that his party is not embalmed,” she said.
Ms. Sukumaran also questioned film organisations for their silence during the whole issue. They appeared to rely on the fact that the film was “voluntarily edited” by the makers for not commenting on the issue.
Late in the evening, the Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA) issued a statement condemning the social media attacks on Mohanlal and Prithviraj. The organisation welcomes uncompromising criticism of the form and content of the film, but it should not give way to insults and threats. The goal of any meaningful debate is not to silence those on the other side, but to allow them to speak, said FEFKA.
Even as much of the Malayalam filmdom remained tight-lipped, actor Asif Ali condemned the trend of launching social media attacks through anonymous handles. He appealed that a film should be seen as just that, and nothing more should be attributed to it.
Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church Metropolitan Yuhanon Mar Meletius of the Thrissur diocese came out in support of the film in a Facebook post. “They killed Gandhi, massacred thousands in Gujarat, and demolished the Babri Masjid. Now, they have killed a film. The murders continue,” he wrote.
The reports of the re-editing of the film has led to huge demands for the Empuraan tickets, with the film running mostly house-full shows across Kerala ever since its release on Thursday.
Published – March 31, 2025 08:02 pm IST
