Resentment from Sangh Parivar factions against the Malayalam film Empuraan escalated over the weekend, prompting a shift in stance by BJP Kerala unit president Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who expressed disappointment in the movie and said he would not watch it. The Mohanlal-starrer, directed by Prithviraj Sukumaran, has come under fire from Hindutva organisations, accusing the film of maligning their ideology and promoting an alleged “anti-national” agenda.
Chandrasekhar, who had initially greeted the film’s release positively on Thursday, posting on Facebook, “Best wishes, Mohanlal, Prithviraj Sukumaran, and team! Look forward to watching and enjoying Empuraan one of these days!” was met with a flood of negative comments on his social media. The growing backlash led Chandrasekhar to change his stance on Sunday, stating, “I had watched Lucifer and had liked it. I had said that I would watch Empuraan as it is a sequel to Lucifer. But now, I have come to know that the makers of the movie themselves have made 17 amendments, and the movie is undergoing re-censorship.”
He continued, “I understand there were topics in the movie that disturbed Mohanlal fans and other viewers. A movie should be watched as a movie — it can’t be seen as history. Any movie that distorts the truth is doomed to fail. So, will I watch this sequel to Lucifer? No. Am I disappointed by this type of moviemaking? Yes.”
Chandrasekhar’s statement came after a meeting with BJP national president JP Nadda in Delhi on Saturday, following a BJP state core committee meeting in Kerala. While the BJP has not officially condemned the movie, Hindutva organisations and party leaders have voiced their disapproval, with many pointing to the film’s alleged reference to the 2002 Gujarat riots as a source of concern.
An article published on the RSS-affiliated website Organiser criticized Empuraan, questioning whether the film was using cinema as a “platform for divisive political agendas.”
In response to the growing controversy, the film’s producers decided to make voluntary changes to the movie, which had already hit theatres. Gokulam Gopalan, one of the film’s producers, stated on Saturday that if any dialogue or scene in the movie had offended viewers, he had asked director Prithviraj Sukumaran to make the necessary modifications. “Certain words have already been muted. There is a protest against certain things in the film. I have asked the director to make necessary changes. We are not involved in any politics,” Gopalan told the media.
BJP state vice-president and filmmaker Major Ravi also expressed concerns about the film’s controversial references, suggesting that his close associate Mohanlal may apologize. “I think he will apologize. He is pained over the issue. He does not have the habit of seeing a film before its release,” Ravi said.