L2: Empuraan, the film touted as the biggest and most pathbreaking Malayalam movie ever made, released today. The film is taken as a power-packed political ride. The Prithviraj-Mohanlal duo is making all the expected commotion in theatres. However, not all are in praise of the movie. Some came forward with serious accusations.
Ever since the Mohanlal-starrer L2: Empuraan was released across the world today, a section of social media users have started claiming that the Malayalam political drama is an anti-BJP or anti-Hindu movie. The Prithviraj Sukumaran-directorial, written by Murali Gopy, has been in the news since the sequel to Lucifer, a 2019 hit movie by the same team, was announced.
Right after the release, the major concern from right wing viewers was the decision by Mohanlal to act in this movie which had Hindu villains whose career was made from a riot that happened in 2002. Interestingly, Mohanlal is among some of the top actors in Malayalam film industry who keep close connections with the RSS and BJP in the state. Reports had emerged in 2019 that RSS and BJP tried to woo the Drishyam star to contest elections in Thiruvananthapuram against Congress stalwart Shashi Tharoor.
“I’ve always called myself a hardcore Mohanlal fan. Not just a fan an admirer, a worshipper of his art, his screen presence, his humility. His films have been my escape, my joy, and my pride as a Malayali and as a Hindu…. This isn’t just creative liberty. This feels like an ideological attack. A carefully crafted piece that paints Hindus as savages, nationalists as villains, and the idea of political assertion by Hindus as something dangerous. I walked out of that theatre with a heavy heart and trembling hands. A part of me still couldn’t believe what I had just watched. This will be the last Mohanlal movie I ever watch. And I say that with a lump in my throat. I never imagined that the man I adored would be part of a film that demonizes the very faith I was born into. That subtly mocks the people I call my own,” wrote an X user after watching Empuraan on Tuesday.
Also Read: L2 Empuraan Review: Mohanlal – Prithviraj Political Thriller Packs Daring And Style
In the movie, a subplot mentions how Stephen/Khureshi Abram’s right hand and mercenary Zayed Masood happened to meet the hero in a flashback.
Zayed was a victim of a riot that happened in 2002 which was orchestrated by Balraj (who is now Baba Bajrangi, a powerful politician whose party rules the centre and has not major following in Kerala). Zayed’s entire family was butchered in front of his eyes by the rioters. The scene had more similarities as one of the Balraj’s associate was seen raping a pregnant woman.
This subplot layer develops into a major part of the main thread as Khureshi helps Zayed take revenge when Bajrangi tries to make his party’s presence visible in Kerala after trapping the CM with cases filed by centre agencies.
In one of the scenes, Bajrangi was heard telling his associate Munna that if he is not going to see the results as he wished he will destroy a dam and leave millions in the state to die.
Also Read: Revealed: The Mystery Character Of L2: Empuraan (Spoiler Alert)
The 2002 riot plot and the mention of a central party that has no foothold in Kerala has infuriated the right wing and they started discussing it as an anti-Hindu movie. The movie, however, has also criticised political parties from the right and left of Kerala’s political sphere. Earlier, writer Murali Gopi was criticised for the movie Left, Right, Left, another political thriller. The allegation at that point was that the writer-actor was trying to whitewash the RSS in the movie.
