In the midst of the current controversy over the Malayalam movie Empuraan, starring megastar Mohanlal, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids on Friday at various premises linked to the producer of the movie, Gokulam Gopalan. The searches are still underway at the office of Gokulam Chits and Finance, based in Kodambakkam, Chennai.
Sources from the ED indicate that two groups of officials from both the Chennai and Kochi offices are spearheading the operation. The raids are reportedly a follow-up to earlier investigations into suspected violations of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) for an amount more than ₹1,000 crore.
Besides the headquarters of the company, enforcement officers are also raiding Gokulam Gopalan's house in Neelankarai, Chennai, and his properties, including Kozhikode's Gokulam Grand hotel and Gokulam Mall.
The actions of the ED have evoked political responses, with CPI(M) Kerala state secretary and Left Front convenor T.P. Ramakrishnan condemning the raids as an example of "political vendetta."
Addressing the media in Madurai, Ramakrishnan alleged the enforcement action was the direct result of the making of Empuraan, a movie that had angered right-wing forces like the Sangh Parivar.
The row over the film is due to its representation of the 2002 Gujarat violence, and the way central investigative agencies like the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Intelligence Bureau (IB), and ED were portrayed in an unfavorable light.
The RSS-linked magazine Organiser had earlier carried a scathing denouncement of the film, alleging that it was peddling disinformation. As criticism mounted, the directors of the film, including Gopalan, met the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to seek a voluntary re-edit of a few scenes.
Lead actor Mohanlal also made a public apology on Facebook, accepting the objections raised by the audience.
"I realize that certain socio-political topics in Empuraan, the sequel to the Lucifer series, have given rise to mental anguish among the audience," Mohanlal penned.
"As an artist, I owe it to my conscience to make sure none of my movies propagate hatred against any political, ideological, or religious community. We, the team of Empuraan, deeply apologize for the anguish caused and have made a decision to delete the objectionable content."
Directed by actor-director Prithviraj Sukumaran, Empuraan was released on March 28 and initially had a good box office run.
But BJP Kerala President and ex-Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar criticized the film publicly, saying he didn't watch it because of its "distortion of facts."
A few high-profile RSS personalities, such as J. Nandakumar and A. Jayakumar, also posted their disapproval on social media, with several RSS-associated digital platforms in Kerala carrying the criticism.
Even with its success at the box office, Empuraan remains under strong criticism for its political undertones and its presentation of national institutions.
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