Empuraan’ makers to alter scenes after Hindutva outrage over portrayal of Gujarat riots

The producers of the Malayalam-language film L2: Empuraan are planning to make over 17 “voluntary modifications” to its cut after outrage from Hindutva groups over the movie’s portayal of communal violence, which closely resembles the 2002 Gujarat riots, The News Minute reported.

The film stars actor Mohanlal and is directed by Prithviraj Sukumaran.

“There is provision for voluntary modification of a film already certified by the Censor Board,” The Indian Express quoted an unidentified official from the censor board’s regional office in Thiruvananthapuram as saying. “They have approached the board and, normally, we allow voluntary modifications in a film already ratified by the board. What all modifications have to be made is up to their discretion.”

More than 1,000 people, most of them Muslims, were killed in the communal riots that erupted in Gujarat in February and March of 2002 after a coach of Sabarmati Express carrying Hindu pilgrims from Ayodhya was burnt in Godhra town in the state. Fifty-nine persons died in the incident on February 27, 2002.

The title sequence of L2: Empuraan is ostensibly based on the Godhra train incident. The opening scenes also depict subsequent mob violence in which several Muslims are killed. Some scenes also seem to allude to the gangrape of Bilkis Bano and the murder of her family during the riots, The Hindu reported.

The movie’s antagonist Baba Bajrangi, who incites a mob to communal violence, appears to be based on Bajrang Dal leader Babu Bajrangi, who was sentenced to life imprisonment for orchestrating the Naroda Patiya massacre in Ahmedabad on February 28, 2002. At least 11 Muslims were killed in the massacre.

Hindutva groups have accused the makers of L2: Empuraan of maligning Hinduism and “appeasing anti-national elements”.

The Bharatiya Janata Party’s Kerala unit distanced itself from the controversy on Saturday, stating it wasn’t involved in any campaign against the movie, though some of the Hindutva party’s members have continued to criticise it, The Hindu reported.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s mouthpiece Organiser on Saturday accused the filmmakers of “exploiting post-Godhra riots to push an anti-Hindu political agenda that poses a serious threat to societal harmony”. The RSS is the parent organisation of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, however, spoke up in defence of the film.

“The communal hate campaign against Empuraan and its creators is deeply disturbing,” Vijayan said on X. “This is yet another example of a growing pattern where coercion and intimidation are used to silence dissent – tactics that have always been hallmarks of authoritarianism. Undermining creative freedom through fear and threats strikes at the very core of democracy. Freedom of expression is a fundamental right; we must stand united to defend it.”

Mohanlal apologises

Actor Mohanlal on Sunday issued a statement apologising for the film’s political themes.

“As an artist, it is my duty to ensure that none of my films promote hatred toward any political movement, ideology, or religious community,” the actor said in a post on Facebook. “With that in mind, both I and the Empuraan team sincerely regret any distress this may have caused my dear well-wishers.”

“We have decided together to compulsorily remove such topics from the cinema,” he added.

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