Kerala CM Attends Special Screening Of Empuraan Amid Controversy: 'Freedom Of Speech Must Be Protected'
Mohanlal and Prithviraj Sukumaran's L2: Empuraan broke box office records but faced backlash over alleged Gujarat riots references. Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan defended the film.
Mohanlal and Prithviraj Sukumaran’s L2: Empuraan hit theatres on March 27, 2025. Directed by Sukumaran, the film roared into cinemas with a massive opening, breaking box office records. However, it ran into trouble over the going row over some of its sequences which allegedly allude to the Gujarat riots. The makers have reportedly decided to implement 17 cuts, along with muting certain dialogues. The decision reportedly comes after certain Hindu organisations raised objections, alleging that L2: Empuraan portrays their religion in a negative light.
Amid this, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan attended a special screening of L2: Empuraan in Thiruvananthapuram. Later, he wrote a lengthy note about protecting a citizen’s freedom of expression and said, “I saw the film Empuraan, which is leading the Malayalam film industry to new heights. I saw the film at a time when the Sangh Parivar is unleashing communalism through widespread hate campaigns against the film, its actors and crew. The fact that the film references one of the most brutal genocides the country has ever seen has angered the Sangh Parivar, its planners. Not only the followers , but even leaders of the BJP and RSS are raising public threats."
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“There have even been reports that the producers are being forced to re-censor and edit the film under this pressure. This atmosphere of fear created by the Sangh Parivar is worrying. It is not a good thing for democracy for communalists to destroy a work of art and viciously attack artists just because it has taken a stand against communalism and depicted its horror," he continued.
Vijayan concluded, “In a democratic society, the freedom of expression of a citizen must be protected. Violent calls to destroy and ban artwork and artists are the latest manifestations of fascist attitudes. They are a violation of democratic rights. The rights to make films, watch them, enjoy them, evaluate them, agree and disagree, etc, must not be lost. For this, the united voice of this country, which is rooted in democratic secular values, must be raised."
According to reports, around 17 cuts will be made to Empuraan. These reportedly include scenes depicting violence against women and certain riot sequences. Additionally, the antagonist’s name, Baba Bajrangi (played by Abhimanyu Singh), is expected to be changed, and some dialogues will be muted. The revised version will undergo censorship approval by the CBFC and is expected to be screened starting next week.
“Some words have been muted for the time being. There have been protests for certain things shown in the movie and I have asked the director, if he can make any changes. He should. The film was censored, there were no issues then. We have no connection with any political party, I see politics as a service," producer Gokulam Gopalan had earlier told Manorama Online.
In L2: Empuraan, Mohanlal reprises his iconic role as Stephen Nedumpally, aka Khureshi Ab’raam. This time, with the help of Zayed (Prithviraj Sukumaran), he makes a powerful return from overseas, setting his sights back home. His mission? To stop Chief Minister Jathin Ramdas (Tovino Thomas) and take control of the game once again.
Empuraan received majorly positive reviews from all. News18 Showsha’s review of the film read, “Despite its dense plot, Empuraan serves as a standalone film. While it is still a sequel to Lucifer, it just takes the plot to a new dimension where the stakes are humongous. Two narratives unfold simultaneously. One is about the local problem in Kerala, which requires the return of Stephen, and the second one deals with an international conflict between two crime syndicates. Prithviraj and Murali Gopy manage to find a common point to merge the two narratives, which feels a bit forced. However, the direction and the writing do convince you and buy into the plot."
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