L2: Empuraan, the most hyped Malayalam film ever, has also sparked fierce hate campaigns from Hindu right-wing handles, who find its perceived political undertones difficult to digest.
Upset over the film’s portrayal of incidents—including the 2002 Gujarat Muslim Genocide (though not named), Hindutva forces’ attempts to gain a foothold in Kerala, and the misuse of government agencies to silence opponents—Hindutva groups have launched a hate campaign against Empuraan.
This includes mass ticket cancellations of the movie, which has set a new record for Malayalam cinema, becoming the first film in the industry to sell over 1 million advance tickets on the online ticketing platform BookMyShow.
The movie L2: Empuraan features a character named Baba Bajrangi, portrayed by Abhimanyu Singh, who has sparked discussion about possible real-life inspirations. Babu Bajrangi, whose real name is Babubhai Patel, was a Bajrang Dal leader convicted for his role in the 2002 Naroda Patiya massacre during the Gujarat genocide.
In Empuraan, Baba Bajrangi is depicted as a Hindu nationalist politician involved in communal violence in 2002, which bears similarities to the Gujarat genocide. The character leads a mob responsible for significant bloodshed, including a subplot involving the massacre of a Muslim family, which many viewers link to the real-life events Babu Bajrangi was associated with.
An X handle, @pora_babu, called Empuraan “propaganda at its best” and described it as “a brilliantly made, high-budget action entertainer designed to vilify Hindus for their political leanings.”
This story was originally published in maktoobmedia.com. Read the full story here.
