L2: Empuraan row: ‘None of my movies harbour hatred towards any religion,’ actor Mohanlal apologises to fans

Actor Mohanlal on Sunday has apologised amid the controversy surrounding his latest film, L2 Empuraan, expressing regret for the “mental pain” caused to his fans. He stated that the film's production team had decided to remove the controversial references that sparked outrage, particularly regarding mentions of the Gujarat riots.

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According to the movie production team, 17 changes are likely to be made, including edits to riot sequences and scenes relating to violence against women. The movie was released in theatres on March 27, ANI reported.. Empuraan has become the first Malayalam film to register a worldwide opening gross of ₹80 crore.

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"I have learnt that some of the political-social themes that have emerged in the expression of the movie 'Empuraan, ' the second part of the 'Lucifer' franchise, have caused a lot of disappointment to many of my lovers. As an artist, it is my duty to ensure that none of my movies harbour hatred towards any political movement, idea or religion," Mohanlal said in the Facebook post, as reported by NDTV.

“Therefore, I and the Empuraan team sincerely regret the mental pain caused to my loved ones, and with the realisation that the responsibility lies with all of us who worked behind the film, we have decided together to compulsorily remove such parts from the movie,” he added.

Political reactions

BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Sunday made it clear that he won't watch Mohanlal-starrer, 'L2: Empuraan' and said any movie that tries to build a story by distorting the truth is doomed to fail.

The BJP leader said in a social media post that he was disappointed by this sort of movie-making.

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"I had watched Lucifer and had liked it. I had said that I would watch the movie Empuraan when I heard it was a sequel to Lucifer," he said in a FB post.

Meanwhile, senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly V D Satheesan on Sunday extended their whole-hearted support to the makers of the Empuraan movie and accused Sangh Parivar of distorting history.

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In an FB post, Satheesan alleged that the Sangh Parivar believes that freedom of expression means freedom of things being created in their favour. "Their agenda is to celebrate such flawed works," he charged, PTI reported.

Stating that cinema is the creation of a group of artists, he said modifying the content of a work of art by threatening, insulting and humiliating through social media is not a success.

Directed by Prithviraj, L2: Empuraan—the second installment in the Lucifer trilogy—has sparked intense debate due to its critique of right-wing politics and subtle references to the Gujarat riots.

On the film’s opening day, the Sangh Parivar strongly criticised it on social media, while the Congress and some Left-wing groups praised the movie for depicting right-wing politics in a negative light.

(With inputs from agencies)