Mohanlal's 'L2: Empuraan' Triggers Big Debate, Politicos Join In

Last Updated:March 28, 2025, 22:56 IST

L2: Empuraan, the sequel to the 2019 Malayalam blockbuster Lucifer, hit theaters on March 27, 2025.

The movie boasts a star-studded cast, featuring Mohanlal, Prithviraj Sukumaran, Tovino Thomas, among others | Image/Instagram

The Mohanlal-starrer new Malayalam film, L2: Empuraan, directed by Prithviraj Sukumaran, has sparked a political controversy for its alleged portrayal of the 2002 Gujarat riots and the perceived misuse of central agencies by the ruling party.

The Kerala Congress said that the film reveals the “Sangh agenda" of dividing Kerala, while the state BJP asserted that the saffron party would remain unaffected by any film.

“People who never stepped foot on Kerala’s soil were saying that a C-grade propaganda movie they released tax-free was the real Kerala story," state’s Congress unit said in an X post.

“Now a world-class film Malayalam movie exposed the Sangh agenda and the division they plan in Kerala to capture control of our vast coastline and two major ports, they started crying," it added.

As the film continues to receive vocal support from Congress leaders, Kerala Youth Congress president and Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkoottathil condemned the backlash against Mohanlal and director Prithviraj Sukumaran.

In a Facebook post, he wrote: “The same people who advocated ‘freedom of expression’ for films such as The Kashmir Files and The Kerala Story are now attacking Empuraan. Their outrage exposes their own contradictions."

The reference was made to The Kerala Story, a 2023 film that allegedly portrayed large-scale forced conversions of women to Islam, a claim that was contested and stoked political row.

BJP Leaders Jump In

The BJP state unit chose to distance itself from the political controversy, with the BJP state general secretary P Sudheer, saying the party won’t launch any campaign against the film.

“The film will go its way, and the party will do its work. The party will not be affected by any film. The Sangh Parivar activists have the right to express their views and let the audience decide whether it is good or bad," he told news agency PTI.

The BJP’s state secretary S Suresh said, “Empuraan film is not a political issue. The Kerala BJP won’t interfere in it. Movie lovers have the liberty to watch the movie and support or criticise it."

Empuraan, the sequel to the 2019 Malayalam blockbuster Lucifer, hit theaters on March 27, 2025. The action thriller had a spectacular debut, raking in approximately Rs 22 crore net at the domestic box office on its opening day.

This impressive start made it the highest-opening film in the history of Malayalam cinema.

The movie boasts a star-studded cast, featuring Mohanlal, Prithviraj Sukumaran, Tovino Thomas, Manju Warrier, Abhimanyu Singh, Andrea Tivadar, Jerome Flynn, Indrajith Sukumaran, Eriq Ebouaney, and Suraj Venjaramoodu.

Kerala, India, India

News movies Mohanlal's 'L2: Empuraan' Triggers Big Debate, Politicos Join In