'They don't want this history remembered...': N S Madhavan on Gujarat riots and 'Empuraan' edits

Prominent Malayalam author N S Madhavan said that the 2002 Gujarat riots is a chapter the present BJP government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi do not want people to remember.

Speaking at the Kozhikode Cultural Forum's seminar titled 'When the History of the Genocide is Cut Off', he asserted that efforts to erase this history are now extending to cinema, referencing the controversy surrounding L2: Empuraan. Empuraan is a Malayalam action crime thriller released in Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Hindi. Directed by Prithviraj Sukumaran, the film stars Mohanlal, Manju Warrier, Tovino Thomas, and others, written by Murali Gopy.

Madhavan observed that earlier films on the Gujarat riots did not provoke major backlash, but Empuraan, with its mass appeal and box-office success, has become a particular target. Unlike previous street protests against films critical of the Sangh Parivar, Empuraan faced a coordinated cyberattack, aimed at preventing less internet-savvy audiences from engaging with the film’s political themes.

He also criticised the lack of societal support for writers who create content that defend women's rights, and remarked that Empuraan does not convey a message of peace, but one of rebellion. Other speakers at the event included V Muzaffar Ahmed, E V Hasina, and A K Abdul Hakim.

Madhavan's comments come amid reports that L2: Empuraan underwent 24 content cuts following political backlash. These changes include renaming the main villain from Bajrangi to Baldev, muting references to the NIA, and removing scenes depicting female harassment and riot casualties. Actor Suresh Gopi’s name was also withdrawn from the credits at his own request.

The re-edited version of the film has been released and continues to break new box-office records, despite the controversy.