Facing right wing fury, 'Empuraan' undergoes 24 cuts; villain's name also changed

Following a fierce backlash from the right-wing groups, the re-edited version of ‘L2: Empuraan’ has undergone more cuts than previously reported — 24 scenes have been removed and not 17. The revised censor certificate has now been made public.

Apart from that, the filmmaker has made several changes in the movie, including the main villain’s name from Balraj Bajrangi to Baldev. Union minister Suresh Gopi's name has also been removed from the “thank you” slide reportedly following his request for the same.

Scenes such as a vehicle passing in front of religious symbols and some dialogues between the two main negative characters have been removed. References to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in the film were also muted.

Also read: Kerala ministers, actors rally behind 'Empuraan' team amid attacks from right-wing groups

Moreover, scenes at the beginning of the movie depicting violence against women, visuals of bodies, and conflict were also removed. A scene involving a child actor portraying Prithviraj’s younger self, including a conversation with his on-screen father, has been trimmed. Certain dialogues by actor Nandu, who plays a minister in the film, have also been cut.

‘Move not out of fear’

Meanwhile, ‘L2: Empuraan’ producer Antony Perumbavoor on Tuesday said that a little over two minutes of scenes have been deleted from the movie.

Speaking to reporters in Kochi, Perumbavoor said the decision to carry out the edit was a joint one of all the producers and actors, including Mohanlal and Prithviraj Sukumaran, and it was not out of fear of anyone.

“There is no question of being afraid. We live in a society. We never intended to do anything which would hurt the sentiments of anyone. If someone is unhappy with the film, then as producers, directors and actors of the movie, we all have the responsibility to address that grievance.”

“So, we all jointly decided to carry out the edits. Around two minutes and some seconds worth of scenes have been removed,” he said.

‘Not right to target Prithviraj’

Earlier, in response to reporters’ queries about whether the decision was taken following someone's direction or due to pressure from some political organisation, Perumbavoor denied the same and clarified that even in the future, if someone was aggrieved by a film they had made, steps would be taken to address it.

"Not just for any party, but even if people are affected, we will take the same steps," he said.

Also read: Mohanlal blinks, apologises for Empuraan while Prithviraj maintains stoic silence

"It is not because of any threats or pressure by anyone," he further said and added that the re-edited version is expected to be released during the day.

He also said that there was no need to attack Prithviraj over it.

Commercially motivated drama: Gopi

Reacting to a query regarding the film, Union Minister of State for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Tourism Suresh Gopi termed the deletions as “commercially motivated drama”.

“It's a drama. Commercially motivated drama. No one asked them to carry out the deletions. They did it voluntarily....,” Gopi told a Malayalam news channel in Delhi.

BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar had earlier said that he wouldn't watch 'Empuraan', adding that he was disappointed by this sort of movie-making.

Prithviraj under fire

Prithviraj Sukumaran, the actor-director of the movie, has been particularly at the receiving end of the ire from the right-wing groups, including the BJP. Kerala BJP leader B Gopalakrishnan recently mounted a scathing attack on his wife, Supriya Menon, calling her an “urban Naxal”.

Gopalakrishnan commented while answering media queries about a social media post from Prithviraj’s mother Mallika Sukumaran, where she defended her son, arguing that he was being unfairly targeted.

Also read: After Hindu right wing, TN farmers take offence at Empuraan; here’s why

“Mallika Sukumaran did not say anything about cinema, she was making a commentary against Major Ravi. She said that Major Ravi was singling out her son Prithviraj. But that is not a topic related to cinema, right? And before she criticises Major Ravi, she should criticise the daughter-in-law that she has at home,” Gopalakrishnan said.

He also called Prithviraj’s wife arrogant, and asked Mallika Sukumaran to “reign her daughter-in-law in.” He said, “The BJP in Kerala has only one thing to tell Sukumaran, and that is to rein in her daughter-in-law as she is an Urban Naxal.”