L2: Empuraan: 24 scenes altered; Gopi’s name removed

Mohanlal’s much-anticipated action thriller ‘L2: Empuraan’ has undergone significant changes following voluntary modifications by the filmmakers, particularly in scenes linked to the Godhra riots. The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has approved the revised version, which is set to be uploaded to theaters by Wednesday after final editing and mastering.

Modifications in 24 scenes
According to Asianet News reports, L2: Empuraan has seen cuts or alterations in 24 scenes, with a total of 2 minutes and 8 seconds removed from the film. One of the major changes includes replacing the timeline card ‘2002-India’ with the more ambiguous ‘A few years ago.’ Additionally, four scenes depicting violence against women during the riots have been completely deleted.

Another significant modification involves changing the name of the film’s antagonist from ‘Bajrangi’ to ‘Baldev,’ which required extensive re-dubbing. Other edits include the removal of a scene showing a car with an ‘NIA’ name board and muting any mention of the agency. The revised version will also exclude multiple visuals of vehicles moving past religious structures, along with specific dialogues by the villain character that were deemed sensitive.
One of the key removals is the ‘thanks card’ to actor-politician and Union Minister Suresh Gopi, which was initially included in the film’s opening credits.

Suresh Gopi reacts!
Reacting to the controversy, Suresh Gopi dismissed the ongoing discussions as mere business tactics. "Okay, so what is the controversy? Who has raised the controversy? It's all business. Screwing up the psyche of the people and making money. That's all," he stated on Tuesday.
Despite all the controversies, the film has been performing strongly at the box office, crossing Rs 79 crore in six days. The occupancy rates for Prithviraj Sukumaran and Mohanlal’s film are also impressive.