Mohanlal expresses ‘regret’ for political, social themes in L2: Empuraan; confirms cuts to film

Mohanlal expresses regret over controversial themes in L2: Empuraan, vows to remove offensive content from the film.

Confirming the “voluntary cuts” being considered for the movie L2: Empuraan following right wing backlash, actor Mohanlal expressed “regret” on his and the Empuraan team’s behalf for “the distress caused to my loved ones..”

In a Facebook post published on Sunday (March 30, 2025) soon after Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan as well as Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan expressed solidarity to the film and its makers, he said it is his duty as an artist to ensure that none of his films harbours hatred towards any political movement, ideology or religious sect.

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“I know that some of the political and social themes that have been introduced in the making of the film ‘Empuraan’, the second part of the ‘Lucifer’ franchise, have caused great distress to many of my loved ones. The ‘Empuraan’ team and I sincerely regret the distress caused to my loved ones, and with the realisation that the responsibility for it lies with all of us who worked behind the film, we have decided together to remove such themes from the film. I have lived my film career as one of you for the past four decades. Your love and trust are my only strength. I believe that there is no Mohanlal who is greater than that,” said Mohanlal.

Ever since the film’s release on Thursday (March 27, 2025), Mohanlal and Prithviraj has been at the receiving end of criticism as well as abusive comments from right wing social media accounts over what appears to be references to the 2002 Gujarat pogrom in the film.

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Although the leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)‘s Kerala unit said on Saturday (March 29, 2025) that the party is not part of any campaign against the movie, many associated with the party continued to make statements against it. On Saturday (March 29, 2025), the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)‘s mouthpiece Organiser published an article accusing the makers of “exploiting post-Godhra riots to push an anti-Hindu political agenda that poses a serious threat to societal harmony.”