Empuraan row: Vivek Gopan accuses film of whitewashing terrorism through Saeed Masood, calls for Prithviraj’s apology

Actor Vivek Gopan has waded into the raging controversy surrounding Empuraan, levelling serious allegations against the movie. In a Facebook post, he stated that one cannot be blamed for suspecting that the movie deliberately distorts history to malign certain figures, including those in power, and disrupt the nation's peaceful mindset. He further asserted that it was not Mohanlal, but Prithviraj, who should have been the first to apologise.

Excerpts from his post: "I watched Empuraan on the very first day without being influenced by any reviews. A film should be viewed as a film; this is creative freedom.'  Yes, a film should be seen as just a film. But...

When historical events make their way to the silver screen, they are not like fictional stories being adapted into films. If someone were to make a movie claiming that Bhagat Singh did not take part in the freedom struggle, people having  common sense would never accept it.

Similarly, Godhra cannot be separated from Gujarat--it is an undeniable fact. Otherwise, shouldn't Prithviraj and others who claim to uphold secular democratic values be willing to portray both the Godhra incident and the Gujarat riots in the same light? Ignoring Godhra while focusing solely on Gujarat suggests an intentional bias and it's impossible to claim that Prithviraj is unaware of this history.

The decision to name the villain in this film 'Bajrangi' is not a coincidence. If someone naturally suspects that the movie is deliberately distorting facts to defame those in power and disrupt the peaceful psyche of the nation, can they really be blamed?

Moreover, the film includes a scene where a character (Saeed Masood) trained by a jihadist terror group is shown becoming a protector of national security, effectively white-washing terrorism. What message are they trying to convey here? However, it is equally important to highlight the way protests have been raised against such portrayals.

Unlike the director of TP 51, who was forced to leave his home in Kannur with his infant children in the middle of the night, Prithviraj faced no such ordeal. When 'Left, Right, Left' was screened, some attempted to set the theaters on fire. But no such incidents have happened here. There was no hooliganism like what was seen during the screening of 'The Kerala Story.' In short, the unrest that some had hoped for did not happen here. Instead, the protests have been peaceful, lawful, and handled with restraint, leading to around 17 edits in Empuraan. Doesn't this indicate that even the filmmakers themselves have recognised the unilateral distortion of historical facts in the movie?

So, despite claiming that he hadn’t thoroughly read the script, Mohanlal, out of basic decency as an Indian citizen, chose to express regret. But shouldn’t that apology have come first from Prithviraj, who takes pride in responding to every issue? Amidst all this, one point should not be forgotten: the Censor Board's act of approving this movie without proper censoring is, indeed, an injustice to society. Having served as a member of the Censor Board for a brief period, I also write this post to register my protest against the Censor Board.

It is also a fact that the majority community, which handled a potentially riotous issue with composure, and the minority community, which viewed democratic protests in the same spirit, together defused the possibility of unrest. I cannot help but say that nothing like these can shake the unwavering determination of leaders like Narendra Modi ji and Amit Shah ji, who steadfastly guide this nation from one step of progress to another," he concluded.