Amid backlash against his latest film released Empuraan over its covert references to the Gujarat riots, actor Mohanlal expressed his regret for the distress caused, stating that his films do not intend to promote hatred toward any political ideology, organization, or religious group. His regret was via a Facebook post. ‘Some of the political and social themes that have come into the making of the movie 'Empuraan' have caused distress to many of my loved ones. So, me and the Empuraan team are sincerely sorry for the mental distress caused to my loved ones.’

His Facebook post
‘I came to know that some of the political and social themes that have come into the making of the movie 'Empuraan', the second part of the 'Lucifer' franchise, have caused great mental pain to many of my loved ones. As an artist, it is my duty to ensure that none of my movies promote hatred towards any political movement, ideology or religious community. Therefore, I and the Empuraan team sincerely regret the distress caused to my loved ones, and with the realization that the responsibility for it lies with all of us who worked behind the film, we have decided together to remove such topics from the film. I have lived my film career as one of you for the last four decades. Your love and trust are my only strength. I believe that there is no Mohanlal greater than that, said Mohanlal.