Prithviraj Sukumaran's directorial L2: Empuraan starring Mohanlal in the lead has entered the 200 crore club. The film achieved the milestone in less than 5 days
Team Empuraan
Mohanlal-starrer L2: Empuraan has been at the center of a heated political debate over its portrayal of the 2002 Gujarat riots. Even as the film faced criticism from right-wing outfits and their supporters, Empuraan has been witnessing an upward trend at the global box office. Undeterred by the controversy and an imposed censorship, the film continues to attract a massive crowd.
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Empuraan enters the Rs 200 crore club
Directed by Prithviraj Sukumaran, the film has entered the Rs 200 crore club in less than five days. The worldwide collections of the film mark the fastest box office success ever seen by a Malayalam film.
On Monday, Mohanlal and Prithviraj took to social media to announce this new milestone achieved by the film. Released on March 27, Empuraan crossed the Rs 100 crore mark in less than 48 hours. With this, it has become the fastest Malayalam film to enter both the Rs 100 crore and Rs 200 crore clubs.
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Empuraan controversy
The film's success comes amid a nationwide controversy. Members of the RSS and BJP have vocally opposed the film's portrayal of the Gujarat riots. One particular scene depicts a Hindutva mob brutally murdering a group of Muslims. Another controversial scene allegedly shows a man assaulting a pregnant Muslim woman. The Sangh Parivar has also accused the movie of whitewashing Islamic terrorism and distorting history.
Empuraan team resorts to self-censorship
Following the backlash, the makers have voluntarily incorporated 17 changes in the political action thriller and have sought approval from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) for these modifications.
An insider revealed to Mid-day, “Many felt that the character of Baba Bajrangi in the film bore similarities to Babu Bajrangi, who was convicted for his role in the 2002 Naroda Patiya massacre and is currently out on bail on medical grounds. In response to the backlash, the film’s producers sought approval from the CBFC to make modifications. The 17 edits will include changing Baba Bajrangi’s name and reducing the riot scenes to half their current runtime. A scene depicting violence against a pregnant woman will also be shortened.
Before its release, the CBFC had initially recommended only two edits—one reducing a scene of sexual violence by half, thus limiting a violent act to a flash, and another removing the national flag from a particular scene. These adjustments were made in accordance with the board’s guidelines. With the new set of changes, the overall runtime will be reduced by just about a minute.”
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