Gujarat riot depiction in Mohanlal's L2 Empuraan 'exposes true agenda' of hate, says Cong; BJP distances itself from row

It may have been presented as a mass actioner, but the much-hyped Mohanlal-starrer, L2: Empuraan, directed by Prithviraj Sukumaran, has strong political undertones too. The film begins with a long sequence depicting the 2002 Gujarat riots and features one of the perpetrators as the chief antagonist. The depiction of the sensitive issue has caused a political slugfest in Kerala, with the right-wing attacking Mohanlal and Prithviraj, while the Congress and Left are throwing their weight behind the film. (Also read: L2 Empuraan worldwide box office collection day 1: Mohanlal film is now biggest Malayalam opener ever, mints ₹67 crore)

The film, the second part of the Lucifer movie, a trilogy planned by the Prithviraj-Mohanlal team, has become a topic of hot debate over its critique of right-wing politics and the covert mention of the Gujarat riots.

On the opening day itself, the Sangh Parivar came out with vehement criticism against the film on social media, while the Congress and a section of the Left platforms celebrated the film for portraying the right-wing politics as "villainous".

However, scriptwriter Murali Gopy, who Sukumaran endorses as his ‘co-creator,’ dismisses the controversy, saying everyone has the right to interpret the film in their way. “I will keep total silence on the controversy. Let them fight it out. Everyone has the right to interpret the film in their way,” Gopy told PTI.

Right-wing slams film, but BJP distances itself from row

Some right-wing media handles, including Sanatana Dharma, have dubbed the film as "anti-Hindu", saying Prithviraj had deceived Mohanlal and his fans by making such a movie. However, the BJP state unit chose to distance itself from the controversy, saying the audience can express their views after watching the film.

BJP state general secretary P Sudheer said the party is not taking up any campaign against the movie. “The film will go its way, and party will do its work. The party will not be affected by any film. The Sangh Parivar activists have the right to express their views and let the audience decide whether it is good or bad,” he told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram.

Congress supports L2: Empuraan

Kerala State Youth Congress president and Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkoottathil, who praised Empuraan as a pan-Indian film that speaks Malayalam, said the hate campaign against Mohanlal, Prithviraj Sukumaran and Murali Gopy over its political content cannot be accepted in any way. “The same people who advocated freedom of expression for films based on unfounded lies and religious hatred like Kashmir Files and Kerala Story, have now come out against Empuraan,” he said in a Facebook post on Friday.

The Congress’ state unit also took to X (formerly Twitter), ridiculing critics: “People who never stepped foot in Kerala claimed their tax-free C-grade propaganda film was ‘the real Kerala story’... now a world-class Malayalam film exposes their true agenda, and they can’t handle it.”

Empuraan at the box office

The controversy does not seem to have affected the film's box office prospects, though. L2: Empuraan film obliterated opening day collection records in Malayalam cinema, earning ₹24.50 crore in India alone and ₹67 crore worldwide on day 1. The makers, Aashirvaad Cinemas, shared on social media that the Mohanlal-starrer has crossed ₹100 crore worldwide in just 2 days, the fastest for any Malayalam film.

(With PTI inputs)