'Prithviraj Has Not Cheated Anyone'

'There is nothing in this film that Mohanlal does not know.'

Prithviraj Sukumaran's mother Mallika Sukumaran has defended her son amidst the ongoing controversy surrounding L2: Empuraan.

Mallika took to her Facebook account to share her disappointment over the criticism her son has been facing, particularly the claims that Prithviraj had allegedly misled superstar Mohanlal and the film's producers.

'This is a mother's pain. There is no point in someone making fun of me for speaking openly about it. Neither Mohanlal nor the producers have said that Prithviraj cheated them. I don't think they will ever say that.

'Mohanlal is like my younger brother. I have known Lal since childhood. Mohanlal has praised my son on many occasions. But it is very sad that some people are trying to make my son a scapegoat without the knowledge of Lal or the producers,' she wrote.

'Director Prithviraj has not cheated anyone associated with this film or any film. He will never do so.'

Mallika Sukumaran clarified that Prithviraj, who directed Empuraan, did not deceive anyone and that all key members of the project, including writer Murali Gopy, were involved in script approvals and revisions.

'If you feel that there is any problem with Empuraan, then everyone in this group is responsible for it. They all read the script together. They all saw the scenes being shot together, and everyone agreed.

'If scenes needed to be edited during shooting, writer Murali Gopy was always willing to do so... then how can Prithviraj be solely responsible for it when everything was finalised and the film was released?

'I want to make it clear that there is not a single shot in Empuraan that neither of them (Mohanlal or the producers) knew about.

'There is nothing in this film that Mohanlal does not know. Neither of them would say that they were unaware of anything in the film.'

• Mohanlal: 'We take responsibility'

Empuraan's production team has announced that the film will undergo revisions in response to the controversy.

According to reports, 17 scenes, including those featuring riot sequences and depictions of violence against women, will be edited out.

Despite the backlash, L2: Empuraan has achieved remarkable success at the box office.

The film, which hit theatres on March 27, became the first Malayalam movie to gross Rs 80 crore (Rs 800 million) worldwide on its opening weekend.