The re-censored version of Malayalam superstar Mohanlal’s latest crime thriller L2: Empuraan earned Rs 9 crore nett at the domestic box office on its first day in theatres amid controversy surrounding some parts of the content that were snipped in the re-edit, as per latest trade reports out on Wednesday.
According to industry data-tracking platform Sacnilk, the film has earned Rs 79.15 crore nett in India since its March 27 release. L2: Empuraan recorded the highest opening-day box office collection for a Malayalam film with a collection of Rs 22 crore nett in India on Day 1, as per trade reports.
The film also became the fastest Malayalam drama to storm past the Rs 100-crore mark at the global box office in just two days of its theatrical run.
The second instalment in Prithviraj Sukumaran’s Lucifer franchise, L2: Empuraan courted controversy for its alleged allusions to the 2002 Gujarat riots, triggering a massive uproar on social media.
Taking to Facebook on March 30, Mohanlal issued an apology to fans, stating that he “regrets the pain caused” by certain political references in the movie. He assured fans that the film’s production team had decided to remove certain portions that sparked the debate.
“I have learnt that some of the political themes that have emerged in the movie L2: Empuraan, the second part of the Lucifer franchise, have caused a lot of disappointment to many of my fans. As an artist, it is my duty to ensure that none of my movies harbours hatred towards any political movement, idea or religion,” Mohanlal wrote in his post.
After two minutes of scenes were deleted, producer Antony Perumbavoor told reporters in Kochi that the decision was jointly taken by the cast and crew of the film. He denied any political pressure or external influence behind the decision and confirmed that there will be a third film in the Lucifer franchise.
A sequel to Prithviraj Sukumaran’s 2019 political action thriller Lucifer, L2: Empuraan marks Mohanlal’s return as Khureshi Ab’raam aka Stephen Nedumpally. The film also stars Tovino Thomas, Suraj Venjaramoodu and Aamir Khan’s elder sister Nikhat Khan in key roles.
Additionally, the cast of the film includes Manju Warrier, Jerome Flynn, Indrajith Sukumaran, Kaarthikeyaa Dev, Kishore Kumar G, Sukant Goel and British actress Andrea Tivadar.
Prithviraj Sukumaran plays Khureshi’s comrade, Zayed Masood, in L2: Empuraan.
Written by Murali Gopy, L2: Empuraan’s technical team includes cinematographer Sujith Vaassudev, editor Akhilesh Mohan, and music composer Deepak Dev. The film’s shoot was completed in December last year.
