Amidst criticism for distorting historical incidents to evoke communal passions, the makers of the controversial movie Empuraan have agreed to remove 24 scenes, including renaming the antagonist from Bajrangi to Baldev, taking out the ‘NIA’ nameplate from a car, modifying Hindu religious structures, and cutting a scene depicting violence against a pregnant woman.
As per a report, over 2 minutes of the movie have been removed after critics accused it of bastardising the 2002 Gujarat Riots without depicting the Godhra train burning incident that led to the violence.
Additionally, the filmmakers of the Mohanlal-starrer have deleted a thank-you note to BJP MP and actor Suresh Gopi. The revised and recensored version of the film is expected to be released by Tuesday evening or Wednesday, though there is still uncertainty.
The raging outrage over the movie had forced superstar Mohanlal to issue an apology earlier this week.
On Sunday, March 30, the actor acknowledged that certain aspects of the film had caused distress to some of his fans and assured that the team had decided to remove such references.
“I have come to know that some political and social themes that were included in the unveiling of Empuran, the second part of the Lucifer franchise, have caused considerable distress among many of my loved ones,” the actor wrote in a Facebook post.
“As an artist, I must ensure that none of my films promote hatred towards any political movement, ideology, or religious group. Therefore, both I and the Empuran team express our sincere regret for the distress caused to my dear ones, and we all take responsibility for it, with the realization that such issues must be removed from the film,” he wrote in Malayalam.
