Kochi: Malayalam superstar Mohanlal’s latest film ‘L2: Empuraan’ faced backlash and was criticised for its political theme since its release on Friday.
Covert references to the Gujarat riots in the Prithviraj Sukumaran-directed movie did not go down well with a section of right-wing followers, who took to social media to make their views clear.
Acknowledging their sentiments, Mohanlal took to his Facebook profile to apologise on Sunday.
Expressing his regret for “causing emotional distress” among a section of his fans, Mohanlal announced the decision by the film’s makers to remove the controversial scenes.
“I learn that some of the political and social themes that have been incorporated into the film ‘Empuraan’, the second instalment in the ‘Lucifer’ franchise, have caused great emotional distress among a section of people who love me. As an artiste, it is my duty to ensure that none of my films produce hate towards any political movement, ideology or religious group,” the 64-year-old actor wrote.
“Therefore, the Empuraan team and I sincerely regret the emotional distress caused to my loved ones. And with the realisation that the responsibility for this lies with all of us worked behind this film, we have collectively decided to remove such scenes from the film,” he went on.
Mohanlal added that his strength in a career of over four decades is the “love and belief” the people have showered on him. “I believe there is no Mohanlal greater than that,” the actor wrote.
According to reports, the makers of the action thriller ‘L2: Empuraan’ have decided to implement 17 edits, including riot sequences and scenes related to violence against women.
‘L2: Empuraan’, second part of the 2017 ‘Lucifer’ that also starred Mohanlal, became the fastest Malayalam film to cross 100 crores globally in just two days, as per Sacnilk, with Rs 66 crore being the domestic collection.
