Thiruvananthapuram: Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Sunday made it clear that he won't watch the Mohanlal-starrer 'L2: Empuraan' and said any movie that tries to build a story by distorting the truth is doomed to fail.
The BJP leader said in a social media post that he was disappointed by this sort of movie-making.
"I had watched Lucifer and had liked it. I had said that I would watch the movie Empuraan when I heard it was a sequel to Lucifer," he said in a FB post.
The newly appointed BJP state chief's latest remarks came at a time when Sangh Parivar leaders and activists intensified their attack against certain portions of the film and alleged that it was against the interests of the nation.
Earlier, Chandrasekhar had endorsed the stand taken by senior party leader M T Ramesh that a film should be seen as a film.
"But now I have come to know that the makers of the movie themselves have made 17 amendments in the movie and that the movie is undergoing re-censorship," he said in the FB post.
He said that he understood that there were topics in the movie that disturbed Mohanlal fans and other viewers.
"A movie should be watched as a movie. It can't be seen as history. Also, any movie that tries to build a story by distorting the truth is doomed to fail. So, will I watch this sequel to Lucifer? No. Am I disappointed by this type of moviemaking? - Yes," Chandrasekhar added.
Senior Congress leader V D Satheesan has come out in support of the makers of the Empuraan movie while accusing the Sangh Parivar of distorting history. In a Facebook post, Satheesan alleged that the Sangh Parivar believes that freedom of expression means freedom of things being created in their favour. "Their agenda is to celebrate such flawed works," he charged.
Stating that cinema is the creation of a group of artists, he said modifying the content of a work of art by threatening, insulting and humiliating through social media is not a success.
"It is an indication of radical failure and cowardice. Don't forget that no matter how much you try to cover it up, historical truths will always remain clear," the LoP added.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan watched "L2: Empuraan" at a multiplex on Saturday night, joined by his family, amid the ongoing controversy surrounding the film.
The Prithviraj-directed film "L2: Empuraan" has sparked intense debate over its portrayal of right-wing politics and subtle references to the Gujarat riots. Released worldwide on Thursday, the movie garnered 4,500 shows in 746 screens across Kerala alone on its opening day. The film, a sequel to "Lucifer", is part of a trilogy conceived by the Prithviraj-Mohanlal team.
The Sangh Parivar swiftly criticised the film on social media, while the Congress and some Left platforms praised it for depicting right-wing politics as "villainous".
(inputs from PTI)