'The Mohanlal I know will apologise, he is deeply distressed, he did not watch Empuraan before its release'

Director and actor Major Ravi stated that Mohanlal had not watched Empuraan before its release. His response came through a Facebook Live session amid the ongoing controversies surrounding the film. Major Ravi noted that Mohanlal was highly distressed by the situation and expressed confidence that he would apologize to everyone.

"I have worked with Mohanlal on five films. Once he listens to a script and feels it's okay, he will not interfere in it further. He didn't even watch Keerthi Chakra before its release. Mohanlal doesn't have the habit of watching his films before release, and the same happened with Empuraan. Please believe me, he has not seen the movie. The Mohanlal I know will apologize to you all—I am certain of that. He is going through a lot of mental stress. Changes to the film were suggested well in advance. From now on, Mohanlal will watch his films before release because this has turned out to be a lesson for him," said Major Ravi.

"Everyone is demanding that Mohanlal’s honorary Lieutenant Colonel rank be revoked. To me, this seems contradictory. He has not acted in an Army uniform in the film, and this should not be mixed up with the current controversy," Major Ravi added.

Meanwhile, as controversies surrounding Empuraan intensified, the makers decided to make changes to the movie. The producers have voluntarily approached the censor board to modify over 17 scenes.

Certain scenes and references will be removed, while some dialogues will be muted. Changes will be made to scenes depicting the Gujarat riots and violence against women. The villain’s character name, Bajrangi, will also be altered. Additionally, portions related to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) will have muted content. The modifications are expected to be completed by Monday, after which a new censor board team will review the edited version of the film.