Mohanlal’s L2 Empuraan Sparks Controversy Over Gujarat Riots Depiction; Congress Slams ‘Hate Agenda,’ BJP Distances Itself”

The much-hyped Mohanlal-starrer L2: Empuraan, directed by Prithviraj Sukumaran, received an overwhelming response in theatres on its opening day on Thursday, followed by raging controversies about its political content.

The film is the second part of the Lucifer trilogy. Its critique of right-wing politics has sparked heated discussions. On release day, Sangh Parivar activists slammed the film on social media. Meanwhile, Congress and the Left celebrated its portrayal of right-wing ideologies.

Scriptwriter Murali Gopy dismissed the controversy. He said people can interpret the film however they want. “I will keep total silence on the controversy. Let them fight it out. Everyone has the right to interpret the film in their way,” he told PTI.

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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.

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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.”

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