L2: Empuraan movie makers to make ‘17 voluntary cuts’ in Mohanlal starrer movie after right-wing fury: Report

L2: Empuraan- Despite recording over ₹50 crore in advance booking, the Empuraan movie seems to be going through an unlucky phase.

Around 17 scenes are likely to be cut from the Mohanlal starrer movie L2: Empuraan, after the movie spurred massive backlash from right-wing supporters over what appears to be references to the 2002 Gujarat riots.

A producer aware of the matter told that the makers of Empuraan movie are considering “voluntary cuts” in the Mohanlal starrer movie, owing to a “lot of pressure” on them, reported The Hindu.

Which scenes would be removed from Empuraan?

Currently, seventeen cuts are under consideration, including a proposed name change for Baba Bajrangi, the antagonist who leads a mob, reported The Hindu.

Reportedly, the name of the character Baba Bajrangi seems to reference Bajrang Dal leader Babu Bajrangi, who was named as a key conspirator in the Naroda Patiya massacre during the 2002 Gujarat riots. Bajrangi was facing serious charges like murder, attempted murder, criminal conspiracy, instigating mob, rioting and unlawful assembly among others.

What are voluntary cuts?

Usually, movies that have already been censored by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) can be submitted for voluntary deletions or additions by the makers.

“Given the current pressure on them, they've decided to make some cuts,” the producer told The Hindu.

What did the CBFC say?

Although the makers of the movie are considering cuts in the movie, the regional office of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) that has not yet received any application for voluntary modifications, reported The Hindu.

Given the long Eid weekend till Monday, March 31, the CBFC would resume its operations on Tuesday, April 1. Hence, the L2: Empuraan movie is likely to be screened as it is, without the proposed 17 cuts.

Reports of possible cuts have sparked widespread outrage on social media, with many criticising the move as an attack on freedom of expression. According to The Hindu, in the initial round of censorship before the film’s release, only two cuts were made—one related to sexual violence and another concerning a dialogue about the national flag.

Empuraan plot

The Empuraan movie opens with lengthy sequences of communal violence spanning over 15 minutes.

Although the Mohanlal starrer movie claims that all the events portrayed in the movie are purely fictional, the title sequences appear to reference the burning of a coach of the Sabarmati Express, which was carrying saffron-clad men at Godhra railway station.

Additionally, some sequences seem to draw parallels to the Bilkis Bano case, in which 11 men were convicted for the gang rape and murder of multiple family members, reported The Hindu.

Empuraan Box Office collection

Empuraan had already minted over ₹50 crore in advance booking.

The Mohanlal starrer movie, however, earned ₹5.34 crore on its third day, marking a decline of over 50 per cent compared to the previous day’s earnings. On March 28, the portal reported that Mohanlal's film had made ₹11.5 crore in business.