"It can't be seen as history."
Mohanlal has apologised and confirmed that some scenes will be removed from L2: Empuraan after criticism from Hindu nationalist groups.
The Malayalam-language film has performed well at the box office.
However, it has faced backlash from Hindu groups, including members of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP.
Critics objected to scenes that appeared to reference the 2002 anti-Muslim riots in Gujarat.
Mohanlal addressed the controversy in a Facebook post.
He wrote: “As an artist, it is my duty to ensure that none of my films are hostile to any political movement, ideology or religious group.
“The team of Empuraan and I sincerely regret the distress caused to my loved ones, and with the realisation that the responsibility for it lies with all of us who worked on the film, we have decided together to remove such subjects from the movie.”
The developments have sparked a debate on artistic freedom.
Congress and Left parties have accused the BJP of pressuring the filmmakers. BJP leaders deny launching a public campaign against the movie, insisting that people have the right to express their views.
L2: Empuraan is a sequel to Lucifer (2019), a Malayalam political thriller starring Mohanlal as Stephen Nedumpally, later revealed to be the leader of an international crime syndicate.
The first film was a hit, raising expectations for its sequel.
The new movie follows Mohanlal’s character as he returns to save Kerala’s politics from corruption.
Even before its release, the film attracted attention due to its large budget and high-profile promotions.
It has grossed nearly £13 million in its opening weekend.
The controversy stems from a flashback sequence that shows Zayed Masood (played by director Prithviraj Sukumaran) as an orphan of religious violence.
Some scenes depict Hindus committing violent crimes against Muslims, mirroring the 2002 Gujarat riots when Modi was chief minister.
The sequence also portrays a perpetrator of the violence rising in power in Kerala’s political scene.
The BJP’s Kerala state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar had initially supported the film but later expressed concerns.
He said: “A movie should be watched as a movie. It can’t be seen as history. Also, any movie that tries to build a story by distorting the truth is doomed to fail.”
Chandrasekhar added that he would not watch the film.
Some BJP leaders have accused the filmmakers of promoting “anti-national themes”.
The Organiser Weekly, a magazine linked to the BJP’s ideological parent, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), called the film “a disturbing, divisive tale disguised as cinema”.
Social media reactions have included calls for a boycott, but there has been no large-scale online campaign or major protests.
Over the weekend, producer Gokulam Gopalan said he had asked director Prithviraj to make changes “if any scenes or dialogues in Empuraan have hurt anyone”.
Mohanlal confirmed that edits would be made. Prithviraj shared the actor’s post but did not comment further.
Reports suggest the film could undergo as many as 17 cuts, including a three-minute scene and some muted dialogues. The filmmakers have not confirmed specific changes.
India’s Central Board of Film Certification had cleared the movie before release, but filmmakers can resubmit for further edits.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Congress party, both strong in Kerala, have defended the film.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan called the backlash “deeply disturbing”, adding:
“Undermining creative freedom through fear and threats strikes at the very core of democracy.”
Congress leader VD Satheesan also criticised the pressure on filmmakers:
“Cinema is the work of a group of artists. Changing the content of a work of art by threatening, insulting and humiliating through social media is not a victory.”
Loading ...