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Despite their latest film L2: Empuraan becoming embroiled in a major political controversy, which led them to make a few “voluntary modifications” to the movie, the makers of the Malayalam action thriller have revealed that all is well between the members of its core team. On Sunday, Empuraan’s lead producer Antony Perumbavoor shared separate posts on social media, dedicated to each member of the movie’s core team — which includes lead star Mohanlal, director Prithviraj Sukumaran and writer Murali Gopy — putting to rest rumours of discord between the four of them following the controversy.
Sharing two pictures of himself with Prithviraj, Antony wrote in a warm tone, “All okay, right, brother…?” While one picture shows the two engaged in conversation, the other features Antony planting a brotherly kiss on Prithviraj’s cheek as the latter smiles. It may be recalled that this was the same comment the actor-director posted on social media when extending solidarity with Antony Perumbavoor during his war of words with Kerala Film Producers’ Association (KFPA) vice-president G Suresh Kumar. Sharing the post, Prithviraj expressed his warm affection for the producer with the emojis “😄❤️❤️❤️.”
In another post, Antony emphasised his decades-long association and friendship with Malayalam superstar Mohanlal, asserting that it would continue unaffected despite the recent issues. “Always and forever,” he wrote while sharing a photo of the two walking side by side, with Mohanlal affectionately resting his hand on Antony’s shoulder.
Meanwhile, Antony also shared another post, specifically dedicated to Empuraan writer Murali Gopy, dispelling rumours that the latter was at odds with the team’s decision to apologise for the movie’s controversial content, which had drawn criticism from right-wing groups. Along with a photo of himself and Murali, Antony wrote simply: “With love”.
It’s worth noting that during the controversy, Mohanlal had apologised for the “emotional distress” caused by the political and social themes in Empuraan. While both Antony and Prithviraj shared the apology post, Murali chose not to and instead posted Eid-ul-Fitr wishes the following day, almost as if making a strong political statement.
Interestingly, Antony’s posts come at a time when both he and Prithviraj are under scrutiny from the Income Tax (I-T) Department. While Prithviraj has received a notice requesting clarification on the remuneration he earned from three films he starred in during 2022, Antony has been asked to clarify financial details related to his previous productions Lucifer and Marakkar: Lion of the Arabian Sea.
Although officials reportedly claimed that these actions were a follow-up to the earlier raids conducted on them, among others, in 2022, the timing of the new notices, coming so soon after the Empuraan controversy, raises questions about the motivation behind them.
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