NEW DELHI: Kerala BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Sunday said that he would not watch the Mohanlal-starrer L2: Empuraan, saying that films that distort facts to create a story are bound to fail. He expressed his disappointment over such filmmaking in a social media post.
“I had watched Lucifer and had liked it. I had said that I would watch the movie Empuraan when I heard it was a sequel to Lucifer,” Chandrasekhar wrote in a post on social media.
His remarks came as Sangh Parivar leaders and other right-wing groups intensified their criticism of certain parts of the film, alleging that it goes against “national interests”.
Earlier, Chandrasekhar had supported the view of senior BJP leader MT Ramesh that films should be seen as entertainment. However, in his latest post, he mentioned that the makers of Empuraan had made 17 amendments and that the film was undergoing re-censorship.
He also acknowledged that some aspects of the movie had unsettled Mohanlal fans and other viewers.
“A movie should be watched as a movie. It can’t be seen as history. Also, any movie that tries to build a story by distorting the truth is doomed to fail. So, will I watch this sequel to Lucifer? No. Am I disappointed by this type of moviemaking? – Yes,” he added.
Meanwhile, Congress leader and leader of opposition in the Kerala Assembly, VD Satheesan, extended full support to the filmmakers and accused the Sangh Parivar of distorting history.
In a Facebook post, Satheesan wrote, “The Sangh Parivar believes that freedom of expression means only allowing content that favors them. Their agenda is to promote such flawed works.”
He said cinema is a creative work by artists and modifying its content through pressure and social media criticism is not a victory.
“It only reflects failure and fear. No matter how much you try to suppress it, historical truths will remain clear,” he added.
As the controversy continued, Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan watched L2: Empuraan with his family at a multiplex in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday night.
The film, the second part of the ‘Lucifer’ movie, a trilogy planned by the Prithviraj-Mohanlal team, has become a topic of hot debate over its critique of right-wing politics and the covert mention of the Gujarat riots.
On its release day, the Sangh Parivar strongly criticized the film on social media, while Congress and some Left groups appreciated its portrayal of right-wing politics.
L2: Empuraan premiered worldwide on Thursday, with 4,500 shows across 746 screens in Kerala alone, news agency PTI reported.
