Mohanlal says Gujarat riot themes to be removed from Empuraan

.

Malayalam star Mohanlal has released a statement over the ongoing row over his film L2: Empuraan. The movie has been caught in the middle of a controversy for alluding to the 2002 Gujarat riots. 

The Malayalam star has apologised for causing "distress" to the viewers.

"I know that some of the political and social themes that have been introduced in the making of the film 'Empuraan', the second part of the 'Lucifer' franchise, have caused great distress to many of my loved ones. As an artist, it is my duty to ensure that none of my films are hostile to any political movement, ideology or religious sect. Therefore, I and the Empuraan team are sincerely sorry for the distress caused to my loved ones, and with the realisation that the responsibility for it lies with all of us who worked on the film. We have decided together to remove such themes from the film," read a section of the statement.