Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdheep Dhankar dismissed the adjournment motion notices seeking a discussion over the controversy surrounding the Malayalam film 'Empuraan'. CPM MPs AA Rahim, John Brittas, and Santhosh Kumar moved an adjournment motion in the upper house of the parliament, seeking a discussion on the violation of freedom of speech and expression in the country, citing the controversy over 'Empuraan'. As the RS speaker denied the adjournment motion, the left MPs staged a walkout in the house. 

Talking to Manorama News, Rahim said the film was subjected to voluntary censorship following attacks from right-wing outfits.

"The movie was forced to undergo censorship after its theatrical release. This incident will set a precedent for the future. Such occurrences will restrict a writer from freely creating a story for a movie. They will worry about whether their content will spark protests in society. Similarly, actors will hesitate while choosing scripts," said Rahim.

He added that the voluntary censorship of 'Empuraan'  would affect journalists, writers, stand-up comedians, actors, and creative fields. He emphasised that violations of freedom of speech and expression must be prevented.

In his adjournment motion notice filed under Rule 267, Rahim also mentioned the police action against stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra over his remarks against Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde.

'Empuraan', starring Mohanlal and directed by Prithviraj Sukumaran, landed in controversy after the Sangh Parivar accused it of propagating an anti-Hindu ideology. Following this, a hate campaign calling for a boycott of the film gained traction on social media. To pacify the protests, the filmmakers announced that three-minute visuals containing controversial scenes would be removed, and a re-edited version would be released soon.

The issue has triggered a political row in the state, with Congress and CPM backing the movie. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan watched the film in Thiruvananthapuram along with his family and condemned the Sangh Parivar’s hate campaign, accusing it of spreading communalism.