Prithviraj Sukumaran Opens Up About 'Empuraan' Issue 

Actor-director Prithviraj has finally spoken up about the issues which surrounded the release of his hit film Empuraan earlier this year.

Talking about the controversy that followed the film’s release, he said, “The film was not aimed at making a political statement and that it’s sole intention was to entertain the audiences." He also clarified that both the film’s star (Mohanlal) and producer Anthony Perumbavoor were fully aware of the film’s script and the scenes that would be depicted in it, in an interview to Manorama News.

In the same interview, he pointed out that he would consider it a failure as a director, only if the audiences felt like they were not being entertained by the film, reiterating that he had made the movie because he had loved the screenplay written by Murali Gopy. 

The film had rewritten box-office records, despite the controversy surrounding it. It first ran into trouble over its depiction of the 2002 Gujarat riots, following which the makers made 24 edits, including the removal of politically sensitive scenes, and released a revised version last week. A sequel to the 2019 film Lucifer, Empuraan also stars Sukumaran, Abhimanyu Singh, Tovino Thomas, and Manju Warrier, among others.

Next for Prithviraj is Vilayath Buddha, a Malayalam film based on a bestselling novel by writer GR Indugopan. The film is produced by Sandip Senan (Urvasi Theatres) along with AV Anoop. It also stars Shammi Thilakan, Priyamvada Krishnan, Anu Mohan, Rajashree and Teejay Arunasalam. It is said to be based around two characters—Bhaskaran Master (Shammi Thilakan) and his protégé Double Mohanan— who are in conflict over the ownership of a sandalwood tree. The film is set in a place named Marayoor and the teaser shows chopped sandalwood trees as the basis for the central conflict. 

Prithviraj Sukumaran also plays the role of the antagonist 'Kumbha' in SS Rajamouli's next, Varanasi. The film, starring Mahesh Babu and Priyanka Chopra Jonas, is in its final stages, and will mark Rajamouli's followup to the epic success of RRR.