Facing Sangh pushback on 2002 reference, Mohanlal’s Empuraan agrees to ‘voluntary modifications’

Since hitting the screens worldwide Thursday, Empuraan, directed by actor-director Prithviraj Sukumaran, has been in the eye of a storm over references to the 2002 Gujarat riots, with several right-wing groups and supporters alleging that the film had “maligned” Hinduism and aimed at “appeasing anti-national elements”.

The BJP on Friday tried to distance itself from the controversy, saying it will not campaign against the movie and that it should be viewed as “a film”. This came even as several in the Sangh Parivar, including those from the BJP, stepped up attacks on the movie.

An article on the website of RSS mouthpiece Organiser claimed that “critics and fans alike are questioning whether the film is using cinema as a platform for divisive political agenda”.

Referring to the Gujarat violence, the article said the Malayalam movie uses violence “to vilify an entire Hindu community, presenting Hindus as villains even in situations where they might otherwise be portrayed as saviours”.

“These scenes go beyond mere shock value; they are purposefully designed to reinforce the image of Hindus as the primary aggressors during the 2002 riots, perpetuating hatred between two communities and portraying Hindus as villains,” read the article.

Referring to Mohanlal, the article said: “The actor’s decision to star in a film that promotes such a divisive and politically charged narrative is a betrayal to his loyal fanbase.”

A few BJP leaders have come out against the movie. BJP youth wing leader K Ganesh, the state general secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, on Saturday said the film was “steeped in anti-nationalism”. “The foreign links of director Prithviraj should be probed into. One has to reasonably doubt whether he was influenced by the ideology of the Islamic State,” he said.

As the row escalated, one of its producers, Gokulam Gopalan, indicated that the makers were willing to make concessions. The film was “not intended to hurt anyone”, said Gopalan, also a businessman.

“I told Prithviraj Sukumaran to make necessary changes if any dialogue or scene in the film hurt anyone. Certain words have already been muted. There is a protest against certain things in the film. I have asked the director to make necessary changes. We are not involved in any politics,” Gopalan told the media.