L2- Empuraan, the much-anticipated Malayalam film starring Mohanlal and directed by Prithviraj Sukumaran, has found itself at the centre of a storm since its theatrical release on March 27, 2025.
Intended as a grand political-action saga and the second instalment in the Lucifer trilogy, the film has shattered box office records, reportedly crossing Rs 100 crore worldwide within days. However, its success has been overshadowed by a fierce controversy fuelled by right-wing groups, an aggressive online backlash, and a subsequent decision by the filmmakers바카라led by producer and star Mohanlal바카라to re-edit the movie.
The Spark of Controversy
The controversy erupted shortly after Empuraan hit theatres, with right-wing organisations, including supporters and leaders of the RSS and BJP, accusing the film of promoting an 바카라anti-Hindu narrative바카라.
The ire stems primarily from the film바카라s opening sequences, which depict a communal riot resembling the 2002 Gujarat riots. These scenes, running over around 30 minutes, include visuals of a train burning바카라evoking the Sabarmati Express incident at Godhra바카라and subsequent mob violence targeting Muslims.
Critics from the right-wing spectrum, including the RSS mouthpiece Organiser, have labelled the film a 바카라propaganda piece바카라 that vilifies Hindus by portraying them as aggressors without sufficient context, such as the origins of the train fire.
The film바카라s storyline, penned by screenwriter Murali Gopi, introduces a Hindutva-inspired antagonist named 바카라Bajrangi.바카라 His actions are linked to the massacre of Zayed Masood바카라s family, a character portrayed by Prithviraj.
The portrayal of Bajrangi, the villain who orchestrated the riot and then becomes a kingmaker in Indian politics, enraged the right-wing. This role has been interpreted by detractors as a deliberate attack on Hindu identity and an attempt to malign right-wing politics.
Social media posts from outlets like Hindu Post and Sanathana Dharma have gone further, calling Empuraan a 바카라Hindu-bashing바카라 film that betrays Mohanlal바카라s fanbase and accusing Prithviraj of pushing an anti-government agenda rooted in his past activism, such as his support for the "Save Lakshadweep" campaign.
The Right Wing Cyber Attack
The backlash quickly escalated into a coordinated online offensive. Right-wing supporters flooded platforms like X and Facebook with boycott calls, sharing screenshots of cancelled tickets and urging others to shun the film. Hashtags like EmpuraanControversy trended as users labelled it a "Jihadi propaganda" film, with some even targeting Mohanlal personally.
This cyber-attack wasn바카라t limited to the faceless profiles; prominent voices joined the fray. The Organiser published a scathing critique, questioning Mohanlal바카라s involvement and suggesting that his participation signalled a betrayal of his neutral persona. The cyber trolls, including self-proclaimed Mohanlal fans, expressed disillusionment and rage which went to the extent of demanding the revoking of his honorary military title of Lieutenant Colonel.
The attack on Prithviraj Sukumaran, the director and an actor in the film was even worse. Right wing trolls spread hate referring to his family and his father the late Sukumaran, who was also an actor.
Interestingly, Murali Gopi faced the least cyber bullying despite he being the man who wrote the film. Gopi's 2012 movie 바카라Ee Adutha Kalathu바카라 (바카라In Recent Times바카라), which was critically acclaimed for it바카라s artistic value, was also a point of discussion for a shot of an RSS Shakha, which has no direct connection with the theme of the movie. Despite Kerala being one of the states having the largest number of shakhas, Malayalam films usually do not portray them In an earlier interview, Murali Gopi criticised the Malayalam film industry for 바카라hiding RSS바카라 as if it does not exist바카라. He has said that he used to go to shakhas in his childhood.
바카라I display the shakha in my film, because it is a reality; You have to confront Hindutva if you want to address it, avoiding it does not make sense," he said in an interview to a You tube channel.
Support from the Left and Congress
The controversy has also exposed a stark political divide. While right-wing groups decried Empuraan, Congress and Left-leaning factions in Kerala praised its "courage" in tackling sensitive issues. The movie was widely appreciated by the left and congress circle as a 바카라daring attempt to speak the truth바카라.
After reports emerged that the film was to be reedited according to the demand raised by the Sangh Parivar, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vjayan watched the movie along with his family on 29 March. On 30 March morning, he made a Facebook post appreciating the movie and condemning the attacks.
"In a democratic society, a citizen바카라s freedom of expression must be protected. The violent calls to destroy and ban a work of art and its creators are fresh manifestations of a fascist mindset. This is a violation of democratic rights. The rights to make films, watch them, enjoy them, evaluate them, agree or disagree with them바카라all these must not be lost. For this, the united voice of this land, rooted in democratic and secular values, must rise,바카라 the Chief Minister said in his post.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan바카라s post was widely shared by the left handles with a reference to Murali Gopi바카라s one of the past films 바카라 바카라Left Right Left바카라 in which a left political leader with the mannerisms and slang of Pinarayi Vijayan was portrayed as villain. No left leaders including Pinarayi Vijayan did call for a ban or modification of the film which was released in 2013. The film could not make a commercial success in theatres and did not invoke any discussion as well.
The Congress바카라s social media handle hailed it as a "world-class film exposing the Sangh agenda," while leaders like Rahul Mamkoottathil defended it against what they called an "orchestrated hate campaign." Bineesh Kodiyeri of CPIM (son of late CPIM leader Kodiyeri Balakrishnan) lauded the filmmakers for depicting the Gujarat riots in "today바카라s India," a pointed jab at the current political climate.
After the news of 바카라Empuraan바카라 undergoing re-editing to omit certain scenes broke, a massive surge in bookings was seen on 바카라BookMyShow바카라, with people scrambling to secure tickets. Social media buzz and speculation about the changes in the film made 바카라Empuraan바카라 one of the hottest tickets in town. Many shows across major cities are filling up fast. The 4000 seats in Kochi city are fully booked for the weekend as per the BookMyShow App.
Producers gave in: Mohanlal바카라s apology and the decision to redo the film
Amid mounting pressure, the filmmakers announced on March 29, 2025, that Empuraan would undergo voluntary edits to address the criticism. Reports indicate that over 17 modifications are planned, including changes to the riot sequences, muting certain references, and altering the antagonist바카라s name, Bajrangi . Yielding to the right wing pressure and threats, producer Gokulam Gopalan reportedly stated that "corrective steps would be taken if sentiments were hurt".
Mohanlal, too, came up with an apology. He announced the decision to make changes in the film as it "caused hurt to people who love him". In his post on Facebook in Malayalam, he says: 바카라I have come to know that certain political and social themes that emerged in the making of Empuraan바카라, the second instalment of the 바카라Lucifer바카라 franchise, have caused great distress to many who love me. As an artist, it is my duty to ensure that none of my films promote hatred towards any political movement, ideology, or religious group."
In a few minutes, Prithviraj shared Mohanlal바카라s post without making a comment of his own.
The officials at the film censor board clarified that they have so far received no communication (as of 1 pm, 30 March) regarding the modifications to be made in the film. 바카라They have to do voluntary modifications as per (The Cinematography Certification Rules 2024) . We have to go through it and endorse the changes. If the change in duration is only less than 70 minutes, then two members are required to watch and endorse,바카라 said a member of the Board in condition of anonymity.
Whether the voluntary changes will pacify critics or fuel further debate remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: Empuraan has become a lightning rod in India바카라s current cultural discourse.
