- By Shubham Bajpai
- Sun, 30 Mar 2025 12:05 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
L2 Empuraan: After a row over the reference of the Gujarat riots, the makers of L2 Empuraan have decided to make 17 voluntary cuts, the production team has confirmed. The Mohanlal-starrer movie is the second movie in the Lucifer trilogy and has hit theatres on Thursday. After the decision new version will be released in theatres next week. The 64-year-old South superstar issued an apology on Sunday saying it is his duty to ensure that none of his movie harbours hatred towards any community or ideology.
Some scenes depicting the 2002 Gujarat riots and violence against women would be eliminated from the movie, L2 Empuraan. Apart from that, the production house will mute certain dialogues, and the name of the antagonist, Baba Bajrangi, will be changed.
Speaking about the decision to make cuts, movie producer Gokulam Gopalan had earlier said that the film was cleared from the Censor Board, but the cuts will be made so that the sentiments of a section of people would not be hurt. The director, actor-filmmaker Prithviraj Sukumaran, has also agreed to make the cuts.
The film has become a major success as it is the only Malayalam movie to cross the 86 crore mark in two days of release.
'Mohanlal is not greater than your faith'
After the decision by the film makers' superstar Mohanlal issued an apology saying that he "regrets the pain caused" to his fans. In a post, he said, "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 harbours hatred towards any political movement, idea or religion."
"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.
Mohanlala further added, "I have lived my cinematic life as one of you for the last four decades. Your love and faith are my only strength. I believe Mohanlal is not greater than that."
Rajeev Chandrasekhar criticises movie
Although, BJP has not launched a protest against the movie, its Kerala unit president and former Union Minister, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, had said that he was disappointed and so he would not watch the movie.
He said, "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. But now I have come to know that the makers of the movie themselves have made 17 amendments in the movie and that the movie is undergoing re-censorship. I understand that there were topics in the movie that disturbed Mohanlal fans and other viewers."
Furthermore, he added, "A movie should be watched as a movie. it can't be seen as history. Also, any movie that tries to build a story by distorting the truth is doomed to fail. So, will I watch this sequel to Lucifer? No. Am I disappointed by this type of moviemaking? - Yes,"
Meanwhile, another BJP leader and former minister V Muraleedharan said , "As a film lover and somebody who enjoys the film, each individual can have their opinion. I have not yet seen the film. As regards the party stand, the state president has said very clearly. I don't think I should go beyond that and defy the state president because he is the final authority as regards matters related to the state."