‘Destroying a work of art for taking stand against communalism is not a tribute to democracy’; CM supports Empuraan

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has come forward supporting Prithviraj Sukumaran's film Empuraan as the controversies intensify. The chief minister said that the rights to make films, watch them, enjoy them, evaluate them, agree and disagree should not be lost. His response was through a social media post. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, his wife and grandson had watched Empuraan last night. He watched the film at a theater in Lulu Mall.

His FB post
‘I watched the film Empuraan, which is leading the Malayalam film industry to new heights. I watched the film at a time when the Sangh Parivar is unleashing communalism by spreading widespread hate campaigns against the film, its actors and crew. The film's references to one of the most brutal genocides the country has seen have angered its planners, the Sangh Parivar. Not only the allies, but even leaders of the BJP and RSS are issuing public threats.

Under this pressure, news has even emerged that producers are being forced to re-censor and edit the film. This atmosphere of fear created by the Sangh Parivar is worrying. It is not a tribute to democracy when communalists can destroy a work of art and viciously attack artists for taking a stand against communalism and depicted its horror.

In a democratic society, the freedom of expression of citizens must be protected. Aggressive calls to destroy and ban works of art and artists are new manifestations of fascist mindsets. This is a violation of democratic rights. The rights to make films, watch them, enjoy them, evaluate them, agree and disagree with films must not be lost. For this, the united voice of this country, rooted in democratic and secular values, must be raised.

Meanwhile, Mohanlal, the main character of Empuraan, has come forward, expressing regret over the controversies. Mohanlal wrote on Facebook that some of the political and social themes that have been incorporated into the film Empuraan have caused great distress to many of his fans, and therefore, he and the Empuraan team sincerely regret the emotional distress caused to his loved ones.