Malayalam megastar Mohanlal's highly-touted movie L2: Empuraan drew flak from Right-wing sections and drew harsh criticism in RSS mouthpiece Organiser.
It has been drastically re-edited after the furor, as 24 cuts were enforced prior to additional screening. MDMK General Secretary and Rajya Sabha MP Vaiko has meanwhile demanded a full ban on the movie in Tamil Nadu.
In a release on Tuesday, Vaiko claimed that the film misrepresented the Mullaperiyar Dam as unsafe and causes unnecessary panic among the people of Kerala.
He cited a specific mention in the movie about a dam at Nedumpally, which is followed by a controversial line suggesting it be pulled down.
The movie hints that the Travancore king was forced by the British to lease out the land for 999 years, and although both the British and monarchy no longer have any power, the dam still stands and is said to pose some kind of threat to Kerala.
Vaiko objected to another such incendiary dialogue that urged destruction of the dam. The dialogue goes as follows: "If we bomb the dam, which drowns people even when just two shutters are opened, the entire state of Kerala will be destroyed."
Vaiko also objected to another provocative dialogue that used a negative phrase on check dams and quoted the line that states: "It is safe only if there is no dam."
Demanding excision of all such contentious scenes and lines, Vaiko charged the filmmakers with intentionally spreading fear for political interests. He also made a mention of the Supreme Court-appointed expert committee that has certified the integrity of the dam's structure.
Film Undergoes 24 Cuts Prior to Re-Release
Interestingly, the filmmakers had already made 24 voluntary cuts—totaling a combined length of 2.08 minutes—since the film faced prolonged criticism upon its release on March 27, 2025.
The re-edited film, which has now been cleared by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), will be screened in most Indian cinemas from Wednesday, April 2.
Among the key changes, the name of the villain, initially Baba Bajrangi—which apparently referred to Bajrang Dal leader Babu Bajrangi, who was convicted in the 2002 Naroda Patiya massacre—has been changed to Baldev.
Moreover, a card that originally displayed 'India 2002' has been replaced with 'a few years ago'.
Some riot-related images, such as shots involving cars outside religious places, instances of violence against women, and images of corpses, have been excised. A key exchange between young Zayed Masood (played by director Prithviraj Sukumaran) and his father during the riots has also been eliminated.
In addition, mentions of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and its misuse by the ruling party to harass political rivals have been toned down or left out altogether in the final draft.
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