Since Tuesday night, a new version of Empuraan is playing in the theatres. The sequel to the 2019 Malayalam blockbuster Lucifer, directed by Prithviraj Sukumaran and headlined by Mohanlal had faced the wrath of both the Hindu right wing and Christians in Kerala.
The portrayal of the Gujarat violence of 2002 has been the bone of contention. Many impassioned Hindu right wing folks vented their anger against the film which released last Thursday. These were just online reactions, and Mohanlal, who leads the ensemble cast in the film, received major brickbats for being part of the film.
Sensing the mood, he issued an apology and said the intention wasn't to hurt anybody. And proactively, the film team decided to go for some voluntary cuts. Thus, a re-edited Empuraan has arrived in cinema halls since last night.
The re-edited version (the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) recommended 17 cuts) of Empuraan has undergone 24 cuts, amounting to about 2 minutes and 8 seconds film runtime.
According to reports, the main villain's name was changed from 'Baba Bajrangi' to 'Baldev, scenes depicting sexual violence and harassment of women were entirely removed, references to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) have been muted and visuals showing a convoy passing by a religious structure have also been cut to address concerns over promoting religious discord.
But just as the Hindu groups were mollified, Christians in Kerala seem to be rising in anger. They have expressed concerns over certain scenes and the portrayal of them. Both the Congress and Left leaders in Kerala are also cut up with Empuraan makers as they feel that the latter have bowed to the pressure from right-wing protestors.
But despite these issues, Empuraan, which was released for pan-Indian audiences, seems to be doing well at the box-office. As per the numbers available, the political drama film has garnered over Rs 70 crore in the domestic market and crossed Rs 200 crore globally. Empuraan was released in Malayalam, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, and Telugu, aside from its native Malayalam.
The film was conceived as a trilogy. But now after all the controversies, it remains to be seen whether the makers have the heart to film the remaining one in the 3-part trilogy.
Aside from Mohnalal, the film also has a galaxy of actors: Prithviraj, Abhimanyu Singh, Tovino Thomas, Manju Warrier, Indrajith Sukumaran, Saniya Iyappan, Kishore, Baiju, Sai Kumar, Nandu, Nyla Usha, Suraj Venjaramoodu and a host of foreign actors.
The film has, however, been panned by critics for being middling and just visually interesting.