Thiruvananthapuram: Under pressure from the Sangh Parivar group, the creators of the movie “Empuraan” deleted 24 scenes.
Changes made in the film include renaming the main villain from Bajrangi to Baldev, removing the “NIA” nameplate from the vehicle, changing the description of the religious structure of Hinduism, and cutting scenes depicting violence against pregnant women.
The total duration of the Mohanlal-Prithviraj movie was reduced by 2.08 minutes after the rebound of the Sangh Parivar costume, which included RSS-BJP, which they argued portrayed the Gujarat riots in 2002 without addressing the violence without addressing the Godhra training incident.
The film’s producers deleted a thank-you card dedicated to BJP MP and union minister actor Suresh Gopi. A re-edited and re-reviewed version of the film is reportedly expected to be released Tuesday night or Wednesday. However, there is still no confirmation about the exact date.
Furthermore, the character name “Bajrangi” has been changed to “Baldev” due to concerns that the original name is similar to the name of Babu Bajrangi, the Gujarat wing leader of Bajrang Dal. Bajrangi was one of the people charged in the Gujarat riot and was later acquitted by the Special Court.
Producer Antony Prumbavoor’s reaction
In response to the controversy surrounding the film, Aashirvad Cinemas producer Antony Perumbavoor rejected the rumor that Mohanlal did not fully understand the storyline of the film. He said in a speech at Kochi reporter: “Mohanlar watched the entire movie before it was released and was fully aware of the story.” He also refuted Major Ravi’s statement that the Malayalam superstar did not know the conspiracy.
Additionally, Anthony rejected the charge that director Prithviraj Sukumaran was quarantined by the “Empuraan” team. “We never quarantined him. We have been good friends for years and have decided to make this movie together. It was never intended to be controversial,” he said.
He also said that any errors found in the film will be corrected. Anthony firmly denies that the filmmakers think they are wrong. “We only make movies that we think are right,” he said, refuting the claim that the film was laid off due to pressure from Sangh Parivar.
“The decision to resubmit the film to the censorship committee is not affected by any external pressure or threats,” Anthony stressed, adding: “As we strive to live in harmony in society, we feel the need to correct what we think is wrong.”
Kerala HC refuses to seek petition banning ‘Empuraan’
The Kerala High Court on Tuesday rejected a petition for the screening of the film “empuraan”, which allegedly spreads anti-ethnic sentiment that could arouse public hatred.
The court noted that the petition seemed to be an attempt to promote, especially since the review board has re-edited the film. The petition was submitted by a BJP worker in Thrissur.
In response, Thrissur BJP regional leadership removed him from the party’s main membership for six years, citing his anti-party stance on the issue.
Despite BJP’s significant differences with the manufacturer of Empuraan, neither the party’s national nor the national leaders called for a ban on the film.
Suresh Gopi says controversy rooted in business
Union Minister Suresh Gopi said in his initial response that the entire controversy stems from business. What is controversy? Who brought it up? Its all business – manipulates the public’s psychology to make money,” he told reporters.
