Although controversies and right-wing-led hate campaigns could not prevent actor Prithviraj Sukumaran’s Mohanlal-starrer L2: Empuraan from becoming a blockbuster, the action thriller dominated headlines for a fortnight across the nation. The row, which erupted over its content, particularly the scenes set against the backdrop of the 2002 Gujarat riots, grew so intense that Mohanlal issued an apology for the “emotional distress” caused by the film’s “political and social themes.”
Amid all the clamour, the deafening silence of major film bodies in the state — particularly the Kerala Film Producers’ Association (KFPA) and the Kerala Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) — did not go unnoticed. What raised many eyebrows was that this followed the organisations’ back-to-back media appearances and announcement of a strike starting June 1, citing significant financial losses faced by producers and distributors. The silence stood out even more considering that the KFPA, since the beginning of the year, had been holding monthly press conferences to release reports detailing the budgets and theatrical revenues of newly released Malayalam films. The Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA), however, did extend support to Empuraan amid the controversy, although only three days after it had begun.
Interestingly, before the planned strike on June 1, reports had emerged in late February that the KFCC was considering a token strike on March 27, coinciding with Empuraan’s release. This plan was later shelved, reportedly following discussions with Culture and Youth Affairs Minister Saji Cherian. Now, Kerala Transport Minister and renowned actor KB Ganesh Kumar has stepped forward, alleging that the entire strike call was part of a larger political conspiracy against Empuraan. Kumar, who also serves as president of the Association of Television Media Artists (ATMA), claimed that some influential members of these associations, having learned details of the film’s plot in advance, conspired against Empuraan to appease their political bosses.
“The theme of Empuraan was somehow leaked, and some members of the Kerala Film Producers Association became aware of it. I suspect that they seized the opportunity to impress their political bosses by projecting themselves as those trying to stop the movie’s release. I know the people in the film industry better than anyone else. We often say that politicians have significant foresight and are always one step ahead. But there are people in the industry who are 100 times that,” Ganesh Kumar said during an appearance on Varthamanam, a weekly Malayalam-language podcast by ieMalayalam.
He added, “Some members of the film fraternity grasped the storyline of Empuraan, and a strike was then orchestrated to block its release. I had mentioned this earlier during a press interaction in Abu Dhabi too, that this strike call is pointless. What exactly was achieved through the strike? Do the media and the public look like fools? Did the strike by the producers’ body result in a pay cut for any actor or director? What was the real outcome? Antony Perumbavoor made a Facebook post, the producers’ association demanded that he take it down and he eventually did — was that what the strike was really about?”
Previously, Prithviraj’s mother and veteran actor Mallika Sukumaran too had voiced a similar concern. She alleged that the proposed token strike on March 27 — the day of Empuraan’s release — was part of a broader scheme aimed at hindering the continued rise of her actor-director son.
