Kerala‘s ruling Left front and the main opposition, the Congress, have united to celebrate actor Mohanlal’s new movie, ‘L2: Empuraan‘, which they say “exposes the Sangh agenda”.
The movie – the second part of the planned ‘Lucifer’ trilogy and which refers, indirectly, to the 2002 Gujarat riots and examines the misuse of central investigative agencies – premiered Thursday, and grossed Rs 22 crore in one day, the most ever by any Malayalam film in the state.
But, away from the theatres, there was opening day drama after right-wing groups targeted the movie, with one calling it “anti-Hindu” and another “an overt Hindu-bashing propaganda film”.
However, the Left and Congress, unlikely allies, pushed back, praising the portrayal of “villainous” right-wing politics. The Congress’ Kerala youth unit chief and the Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkoottathil praised ‘Empuraan‘ as a “pan-Indian film” and said the hate campaign against Mohanlal and the director, Prithviraj Sukumaran, is unacceptable in any way.
“The same people who advocated freedom of expression for films based on unfounded lies and religious hatred, like ‘Kashmir Files’ and ‘Kerala Story,’ have now come out against ‘Empuraan‘.”
The party’s state unit posted a message on X and took a cheeky swipe at critics, “People who never stepped foot on Kerala’s soil were saying a ‘c-grade propaganda movie’ they released tax-free was ‘the real Kerala story’…”
The reference was to ‘The Kerala Story‘, a 2023 movie on forced conversions (to Islam) and the radicalisation of women that sparked a massive political row. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has slammed the film makers, calling it “propaganda” by the “Sangh parivar“.
“Now a world-class film Malayalam movie exposes the Sangh agenda and the division they plan in Kerala, to capture control of our vast coastline and two major ports… they started crying.”
People who never stepped foot on Kerala’s soil were saying that a c-grade propaganda movie they released tax-free was the real Kerala story.
Now a world class film Malayalam movie exposed the Sangh agenda and the division they plan in Kerala to capture control of our vast… pic.twitter.com/zfVIKk4PXC
— Congress Kerala (@INCKerala) March 28, 2025
What was interesting, though, was that the BJP’s state unit – which struggles for traction in the south, where its muscular nationalism does not resonate – distancing itself from any criticism.
“The film will go its way and party will do its work. The party will not be affected by any film. Activists have the right to express their views and let the audience decide if it is good or bad,” P Sudheer, the General Secretary of the BJP’s state unit, said.
The face-off brewing over ‘L2: Empuraan‘ will add an extra layer of controversy as Kerala preps for an Assembly election next year. In the 2021 election the ruling Left Democratic Front recorded a comfortable win over the Congress-led United Democratic Front.
The LDF got 99 of the state’s 140 seats and the UDF 41.
The BJP was routed, losing the only seat it won in the 2016 election. The party also dropped 2.5 per cent in terms of vote shares, falling from 14.96 per cent to 12.41 per cent.
