Memory is a Country

Despite the cuts and controversy, L2 Empuraan will remain documented in public memory for its bold attempt to represent a dark phase that no one wants to talk about

- Apeksha Priyadarshini IS SENIOR COPY EDITOR, OUTLOOK. SHE WRITES ON CINEMA, ART, POLITICS, GENDER & SOCIAL JUSTICE

THE year is 2002. A young boy named Zayed Masood, his family and neighbours are fleeing the communal violence that has enveloped their neighbourhood, somewhere in North India. They are assured refuge at the haveli of Subhadra Ben, a local political activist. However, Subhadra is betrayed by her nephew Munna, who summons his brother, Balraj Patel aka Baba Bajrangi, to annihilate the group of Muslims taking shelter in their house. Bajrangi murders Subhadra for “betraying her religion” and proceeds towards the shed where the Muslims are hiding. While Zayed’s father Masood hides him and his little brother Zaheer, the rest of the family is brutally murdered by Bajrangi and his men.

During the massacre, Munna rapes a heavily pregnant woman and then kills her ruthlessly. While they set fire to the shed after the indiscriminate killing, Zayed escapes with Zaheer tied on his back. However, when he finally turns to check on him, Zaheer is dead too. The sole survivor of the massacre, Zayed screams in anguish.

Ever since its theatrical release on March 27, L2 Empuraan—the sequel to the 2019 political thriller Lucifer—has been in the eye of a storm of controversies. From Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids and parliamentary debates to calls for bans, censorship and a court case—the makers have now seen it all.

Directed by Prithviraj Sukumaran, this Mohanlal starrer has become an eyesore for the Indian right wing. It has brought to the forefront a Muslim protagonist who survived one of the deadliest pogroms that the country has seen in its post-independence history.