Bala

The first name of Prithviraj Sukumaran directed Empuraan seems to be 'controversy'.

For barely days after cuts owing to the outrage of right wing groups, the filmmakers announced cuts in the movie, removing some contentious references with alleged anti-Hindu bent. Following the backlash, the film sported 24 cuts, amounting to 2.08 minutes of footage. The edited version of the film was re-released in theatres on April 2.

No sooner had that kerfuffle died down, another one emerged. This time from the politicians in Tamil Nadu. Their bone of contention was the depiction of a fictional dam in the movie, which they believe alludes to the real-life Mullaperiyar Dam, a complex  long-standing point of contention between Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

The film features a fictional dam in a location called Nedumpally.  A specific dialogue mentions the Travancore King leasing the land to the British for 999 years, which critics argue could incite tensions between the two states. Another controversial line allegedly suggests the dam could be destroyed with explosives, which has been accused of fear-mongering.

Anyway, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister told the State Assembly the film has now cut those references and the edited version has arrived in the theatres. There is no word from the makers on this yet.

The film's predicament highlights the complexities of addressing historical and cultural issues in cinema. Despite these challenges, Empuraan has been a box office success, becoming Malayalam Cinema's highest-grossing movie.

The film has been conceived as a trilogy. Aside from the hero Mohanlal, 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.