‘Mohanalal also saw the script’: Prithviraj breaks silence on ‘Empuraan’ controversy

Ever since the release of ‘Empuraan’, the film has been surrounded by controversies — from Major Ravi’s allegation that the script was never shown to Mohanlal and was kept secret, to larger political debates. Allegations that the film referenced the Gujarat riots also fuelled widespread discussions. After maintaining silence for a long time, Prithviraj has now responded, clarifying that his creative choices in the film had no political motives.

His comments came during an interview with a private channel as part of the promotional events for his new film Vilayath Buddha.

Prithviraj said he would never use cinema to express personal political views, nor was ‘Empuraan’ made with any such intent. “That’s why it didn’t affect me,” he said. “I am sure nothing of that sort was involved. I understood the story clearly, and once the script was completed, I narrated it to the lead actor and the producer. They understood it as well. My sole intention behind ‘Empuraan’ was to entertain people. If that hasn’t happened, then as a filmmaker, it is my failure.”

He added that he would never make a film solely to convey a political stance. “There is no need to spend crores to announce a political opinion. In today’s digital era, a simple statement on social media is more than enough. As long as you remain sincere to yourself and aware of that sincerity, there is no need to grieve or fear anyone,” Prithviraj said.

In another interview, Prithviraj had admitted that the film had not reached everyone as expected, and that interpretations arose which he had never even imagined. “Once a film is released, how it is interpreted is entirely up to the audience. There is no point saying, ‘This is the intended meaning’,” he added.

Earlier, Major Ravi had accused Prithviraj of dragging Mohanlal into controversy by claiming Mohanlal had not seen the script. Prithviraj’s mother Mallika Sukumaran had then publicly countered these allegations. Prithviraj, however, had remained silent at the time.

Despite the controversies, ‘Empuraan’ went on to achieve the record for the highest box-office collection for a Malayalam film at the time of its release, although later Lokah Chapter One: Chandra surpassed the record.