Verbal attacks have been piling up against the creators of L2: Empuraan ever since it came out on Thursday, March 27, prompting Mallika Sukumaran, veteran actor and mother of the film’s director Prithviraj, to issue a statement. She asserted that her son had “cheated no one” and that both Mohanlal, the star of the film, and the producers were aware of every shot in the film.
Empuraan, the second part of Prithviraj’s trilogy of movies starring Mohanlal, has been under attack for its depiction of communal violence — clearly alluding to the nightmarish Gujarat riots that killed thousands of Muslims. The sequence did not go down well with many viewers sympathetic to the Hindutva right wing, which allegedly unleashed the violence in the BJP-ruled state in 2002.
The Hindutva right wing was also upset by the portrayal of the train fire that killed 59 Hindu pilgrims – alluding to the Godhra train burning – because the film didn’t show it as being caused by Muslims.
They poured out their anger on social media, tagging Mohanlal and Prithviraj. The online abuse got so out of hand that the makers were quick to promise several cuts that would calm the attackers down — a move that many saw as an act of bowing down to fascism. Even so, the attacks continued, the bulk of which was directed at Prithviraj.
A very prominent star in Malayalam cinema, Prithviraj began filmmaking with Lucifer, the first part of Empuraan, five years ago. Known to be outspoken, his statements and stances have often been frowned upon, earning him the reputation of an “arrogant man".
After Empuraan, the adjectives changed. The Hindutva right wing, including the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) are accusing Prithviraj of being “anti-national” and having “foreign connections”. They dug out some of his previous movies, in which they found anti-right wing flavour, and alleged propaganda against the ruling BJP. An article in the Organiser – the mouthpiece of the RSS – blatantly called him ‘the voice of the anti-nationals’ because he had been critical of some of the actions of the BJP government earlier. They also posted his pictures and posts from the Save Lakshadweep campaign, initiated against controversial reforms in the island. They reprinted his post supporting protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act.
On Saturday, March 31, after Mohanlal came out with a note of regret and promised to cut the film’s ‘offensive’ parts, the attacks on Prithviraj grew dirtier and personal, dragging his wife and film producer Supriya Menon into it.
Another filmmaker, Major Ravi, known for his affiliation to the BJP, claimed that Mohanlal had not watched the entire film and was unaware of its depiction of the Gujarat riots. Ravi even announced Mohanlal’s soon-to-come apology a day before the star posted it online.
Even after Prithviraj re-shared Mohanlal’s statement of apology, he continued to bear the brunt of the attack. Condemning the isolation of her son, Mallika Sukumaran put out a long statement. “If you feel there is a problem with Empuraan, then everyone in this group is responsible for it, they read the script together, watched the scenes as they were shot, and approved it. In case a scene had to be corrected while it was being shot, then the writer Murali Gopy was also present on the location. So how is it that only Prithviraj is responsible for all of it now?” Mallika asked.
It is not true that Mohanlal had not watched the entire film and that the film was revised without his knowledge, she added. Mallika also alleged that by spreading such a rumour, the attackers are trying to make a scapegoat of Prithviraj and perhaps get in the good books of Mohanlal and producer Antony Perumbavoor.
“Some politicians and organisations and those who call themselves fans are competing with each other to ostracise Prithviraj. There are also many who have been supportive. Suku chettan (her late husband and former actor Sukumaran) and I have raised our children to know that you love people not on the basis of their political allegiance, caste, or religion. We have always respected all political parties and organisations. But some of them have been attacking Prithviraj for the last few days. We suspect that there are some in the film industry who are behind it. Neither I nor my children have any desire to grab any positions or recognitions from power centres and organisations using politics,” Mallika said.
Interestingly, Mallika has earlier been vocal about her approval of the BJP Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
However, after her statement, BJP leader K Gopalakrishnan, who had only days ago publicly apologised to CPI(M)’s PK Sreemathy for defaming her, character-assassinated Prithviraj’s wife and producer Surpiya Menon.
Labelling Supriya as an ‘urban naxal’ – a Sangh Parivar slur for intellectuals opposing their ideology or actions – Gopalakrishnan asked Mallika Sukumaran to first criticise her daughter-in-law before disciplining Major Ravi. He called Surpriya’s post backing Prithviraj ahead of the Empuraan release a “show of arrogance” since she had ended it with a note to his naysayers: aalarinju kalikeda (know who you are up against).
Gopalakrishnan further made a problematic allusion to a line from Prithviraj’s film Ayyappanum Koshyum, saying, “What Ayyappan’s wife tells Koshy in the film will happen to Mallika in real life.” In the film, Koshy (played by Prithviraj) is told by the angry wife of his opponent Ayyappan to kill his mother so she “would not have to bear the shame of having him for a son”.
Both the ruling Left Democratic Front and leaders of the Congress have come out with their support for the filmmakers from day one of the attacks. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, among others, watched the film in its opening week to express solidarity and condemn fascist forces’ attacks on cinema. All India Congress Committee general secretary KC Venugopal watched the film on Monday, March 31, and deplored the right wing intolerance towards freedom of expression.
On Monday night, CPI(M) leader KK Shailaja appreciated Prithviraj and the team behind Empuraan for “exposing neo fascism” and applauded Mallika Sukumaran for her courageous stand. “The Gopalakrishnans will have to apologise to the society again,” she said.