On Thursday, Mohanlal’s L2: Empuraan made its big screen debut. Reviews and reactions to this follow-up to the 2019 action-thriller Lucifer, which was directed by co-star Prithviraj Sukumaran, have been conflicting.
Some fans have criticized the Malayalam film for attempting to disseminate “anti-Hindu propaganda,” while others have appreciated Mohanlal’s portrayal and the intense action scenes.
L2: After the success of Lucifer (2019), Empuraan is the second installment of a planned trilogy that explores a socio-political drama with Mohanlal’s character, Khureshi-Ab’raam, as its core.
Manju Warrier, Abhimanyu Singh, Indrajith Sukumaran, and Tovino Thomas are also featured in the movie. The movie has been released in Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, and Telugu in addition to Malayalam. Murali Gopy wrote the film’s narrative.
Some groups, including those that disagree with the BJP’s philosophy, have labeled movies like Kashmir Files, Kerala Story, Article 370, Sabarmati Report, and Savarkar as “propaganda” despite their enormous success on the political and public fronts in recent years. Observers say the lineup represents a trend of Indian filmmakers taking up hard-hitting issues even if they may face accusations of toeing a political line or have their films banned in Gulf countries, as Article 370 was.
The ideation and production of films such as Samrat Prithviraj, The Kerala Story, Bastar: The Naxal Story, and The Kashmir Files have also been aided in recent years by an initiative of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh affiliates. According to RSS functionaries, these films either highlight cultural pride through nationalistic themes or reveal the covert agendas of certain forces.
