Empuraan director Prithviraj Sukumaran’s mother Mallika hits back amid row: ‘My son is being made a scapegoat, he cheated no one’

She also addressed BJP state vice-president Major Ravi’s comments who claimed Mohanlal doesn’t watch the previews of his films, hinting the actor found out about controversial portions of the film upon its release. “For whom did Major Ravi take such a stand? Does he get any advantage in isolating Prithviraj?” she asked.

The film has received backlash with BJP and the Sangh Parivar launching a campaign against the makers and actors. Much of the controversy is due to a riot scene in the film, which is supposedly a reference to the 2002 Gujarat riots. Kerala state president of BJP, Rajeev Chandrasekar, who had initially supported the film and Prithviraj, has now changed his stance and vowed never to watch the film.

READ MORE: Why makers of Prithviraj-Mohanlal’s L2 Empuraan are going back to the editing table; report says new edited version to release next week

Amidst all the turmoil, the film is going back to the edit table, and a new version of the film is said to be released next week. Many claimed that Prithviraj did not listen to requests to make cuts in the film and flew solo while making important decisions. His mother, on the same post, replied to these allegations, saying, “They all say the scenes were being shot together, and everyone agreed. If scenes needed to be edited during shooting, writer Murali Gopy was always willing to do so… then how can Prithviraj be solely responsible for it when everything was finalised and the film was released?

Actor Mohanlal has also voiced his concerns over the matter and has apologised for referencing the Gujarat riots. He said on Facebook, “I have come to know that some political and social themes that were included in the unveiling of Empuraan, the second part of the Lucifer franchise, have caused considerable distress among many of my loved ones.

Mallika hit back at the journalists who called the director a ‘fool who constantly changes his stance’. She has made clear that the film was a collaborative effort, and targeting only her son is wrong and unjust.