Actor Vivek Gopan, known for his roles in several Malayalam TV serials, has voiced strong criticism against the Mohanlal-starrer L2: Empuraan, directed by Prithviraj Sukumaran.

In a Facebook post, Gopan, who was the BJP candidate from the Chavara constituency in the last Kerala Assembly Elections, voiced his concerns about the film's depiction of historical events and political themes.

"A film should be viewed as a film, as it is an expression of creative freedom... However, when historical events are misrepresented, it becomes problematic. If a film were to falsely claim that Bhagat Singh was not involved in India's freedom struggle, the common people would never accept it. Similarly, the statement: ‘If there is no Godhra, there is no Gujarat’ is a fact. Otherwise, should those who claim to have secular and democratic values, like Prithviraj, be ready to present both the Godhra incident and the Gujarat riots equally? To ignore Godhra and only focus on Gujarat is not entirely innocent, and one cannot say that Prithviraj is unaware of this history."

Gopan also criticised the film for its portrayal of political characters, particularly the villain named Bajrangi, and questioned the movie's portrayal of violence and national security issues. “The villain in this film being named Bajrangi is not a mere coincidence. This character, along with those who oppose India's governing system, is depicted as destabilising the peaceful mental state of this nation. If someone naturally questions this portrayal, can they be blamed? Additionally, the film portrays a character who, after receiving training from a jihadist terror group, is shown guarding national security, thus whitewashing terrorism. What message are they trying to convey through this?"

He continued by acknowledging the protests that have been raised against the film. Gopan pointed out that, unlike past incidents where films like TP 51 and The Kerala Story triggered protests, the reaction to L2: Empuraan has been relatively muted, which, according to him, reflects a certain level of restraint in handling controversial content.

“The historical distortion in the film is evident... The team behind this movie should be aware that it represents a one-sided view of history, and the narrative should have been more balanced. Mohanlal’s public expression of regret should have come earlier, as he is a respected public figure.”

Gopan also criticised the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) for approving the movie without addressing these concerns during the censoring process. “By passing the film without any consideration of its content, the CBFC has shown injustice to the community. As a former member of the censor board, I am deeply disappointed with this decision,” he added.