LDF, UDF criticise ED searches at 'Empuraan' producer's firms

The ruling LDF in Kerala and the Congress-led Opposition UDF on Friday claimed that the ED (Enforcement Directorate) searches at chit fund firms belonging to Kerala-based businessman Gokulam Gopalan were triggered by his involvement as one of the producers of the Malayalam film L2: Empuraan.

According to official sources, the ED conducted the searches as part of a probe into an alleged Rs 1,000 crore 'foreign exchange violation'.

The searches were carried out at five premises across various states, including Tamil Nadu's capital Chennai and Kochi in Kerala, under the provisions of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), the sources said.

The action targets Gopalan and his company Sree Gokulam Chit and Finance Company Pvt Ltd, for alleged FEMA violations involving Rs 1,000 crore in transactions with certain NRIs and other “unauthorised” dealings, they said.

LDF convener T.P. Ramakrishnan, speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the CPI(M) party congress in Madurai in Tamil Nadu said the attacks on L2: Empuraan amounted to a forced intervention in Kerala’s cultural sphere.

He called the raids on Gopalan’s firms a “cheap tactic” and urged the cultural community to unite and oppose such moves, saying they were also an attack on the freedoms enjoyed by the artistic world.

Leader of the Opposition in the assembly, V.D. Satheesan, echoed similar sentiments, stating, "The raids happened only after the movie came out. Everyone knows the raids were conducted because he is one of the producers of L2: Empuraan."

Shameless ED raids Empuraan movie Producer owned chit fund. pic.twitter.com/6g7vQVYa8P

— Karnataka Congress (@INCKarnataka) April 4, 2025

The film has drawn sharp criticism from the Sangh Parivar over certain portions which allegedly critique right-wing politics and covertly reference the 2002 Gujarat riots.

L2: Empuraan — the second instalment in the Lucifer trilogy by the Prithviraj Sukumaran-Mohanlal team — has become a hot topic of debate, with the Congress and Left celebrating the film for its portrayal of right-wing ideology as "villainous", while the Sangh Parivar condemned it on social media on the day of its release, 27 March.

Two Indias💔

If Sanghis can accept manipulated Chhaava, why can’t they accept the truth in Empuraan? #Chhaava#Empuraan pic.twitter.com/xckNvku42C

— Centrism | மய்யம் (@CentristPulse) March 30, 2025

Following the controversy, co-producer Antony Perumbavoor announced on 1 April that a little over two minutes of footage had been removed from the film.

On 31 March, Malayalam superstar Mohanlal following a wave of criticism from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and BJP cadres over certain scenes in L2: Empuraan. The actor took to Facebook to express regret over the "emotional distress" caused by the film and confirmed that the contentious scenes pointing toward the 2002 Gujarat riots would be removed.

Nonetheless, and major edits, the saffron brigade is still unhappy, with the RSS mouthpiece Organiser questioning director Prithviraj Sukumaran and screenwriter Murali Gopy in a new article published on 2 April.

With PTI inputs