March 29, 2025: Prithviraj Sukumaran’s directorial venture L2: Empuraan, starring Mohanlal, has been breaking records at the box office. The film became the first Malayalam movie to achieve a worldwide opening gross of Rs 80 crore. However, the film’s success has not been without controversy, as it has drawn backlash from right-wing supporters.
One of the key issues at the center of the controversy is the alleged portrayal of the 2002 Gujarat riots in the film, which occurred during Narendra Modi’s tenure as Chief Minister. This has sparked a heated debate, leading to political figures weighing in on the matter.
BJP leader V Muraleedharan addressed the issue in a media interaction, clarifying that the party had already taken a stand on the matter. While he expressed his love for cinema, Muraleedharan stated that the position of the BJP’s state president on the issue was final. He emphasized that he did not want to go beyond the official stance.
Interestingly, despite the controversy, BJP State President Rajeev Chandrasekhar had earlier extended his best wishes to the team of Empuraan and shared a picture with Mohanlal on his X account. This added to the mixed responses surrounding the film.
Additionally, BJYM State General Secretary K Ganesh called for an investigation into Prithviraj Sukumaran’s “foreign connections,” alleging that his films, including Empuraan, follow an “anti-national” pattern. Ganesh specifically pointed to Prithviraj’s time in Jordan during the filming of Aadujeevitham, claiming that the director’s stay there should be scrutinized to see who he was in contact with.
Despite the controversies, Empuraan hit theatres on March 27 and continues to captivate audiences with its strong box-office performance.