'Empuraan' undergoes 24 cuts: Villain renamed Baldev, Suresh Gopi removed from thanks card

New details regarding the re-edited version of L2: Empuraan have surfaced, revealing that a total of 24 cuts have been proposed to address political and social backlash. The revisions are said to amount to approximately 2 minutes and 8 seconds of content, with changes made to various scenes, character names, and visuals. 

One of the most notable changes is the renaming of the film’s main villain, previously referred to as "Bajrangi," to "Baldev." This change comes after criticism that the original name referenced a figure associated with the Gujarat riots, sparking political backlash. In addition, scenes mentioning the NIA have been muted, while visuals depicting women’s harassment and dead bodies have been entirely removed.

The controversy surrounding the film has also led to the removal of actor Suresh Gopi's name from the movie’s thanks card (credits). Sources suggest that Gopi, who had assisted the filmmakers during production, personally requested that his name be removed from the credits following the backlash. Another major alteration is the removal of shots showing a religious symbol during the riot scenes, where a group of people were travelling in a vehicle. The symbol, which was seen as a religious reference, was cut in response to concerns over promoting religious discord.

The film’s depiction of female harassment during the riot scenes has also been removed completely. Additionally, conversations between the villain and his supporter, as well as dialogue between Prithviraj's character and his father, have been trimmed. These changes were voluntarily suggested by the filmmakers to address the controversy surrounding the film’s content.

The makers of L2: Empuraan have worked quickly to finalise the re-edited version, with the first part of the edit already completed. Reports indicate that the second part is nearing completion, and the re-released version of the movie could be available to audiences as early as tomorrow.

Despite the ongoing controversies, the movie has been met with substantial box-office success, and the filmmakers hope that these adjustments will allow the film to move forward without further public dissent.