Dulquer Salmaan’s 'Lokah' apology to Mohanlal’s 'Empuraan' row; times Malayalam stars had to say sorry.

Creative freedom often brushes up against cultural sensitivities, and this often happens in cinema as visuals influence the audiences more. Over the years, there have been instances where Malayalam films and stars have faced backlash for dialogues, portrayals, or references that unintentionally hurt sentiments.

What stood out was how leading actors and filmmakers responded with humility, issuing public apologies and making amends. Here’s a look back at times when Malayalam cinema makers had to step forward with an apology.

A dialogue in 'Lokah: Chapter One' sparked outrage in Karnataka for portraying Bengaluru women in a derogatory light. Taking responsibility as producer, Dulquer issued a statement on behalf of his production house. The tweet read, “It has come to our attention that a dialogue… has unintentionally hurt the sentiments of people from Karnataka… We deeply regret this oversight… The dialogue in question will be removed/edited at the earliest.”

In 2022, Sreenath Bhasi landed in trouble after verbally abusing a journalist during a promotional interview for 'Chattambi.' The incident went viral and drew sharp criticism. A police case was filed, and the Producers’ Association temporarily banned him.
Sreenath later apologized, saying it was unintentional and stemmed from provocation. The journalist withdrew the complaint, and after a clean drug test, the ban was lifted.

Mohanlal’s 'L2: Empuraan (2025)' stirred debate with references to the Gujarat riots, sensitive character names, and national agencies. Facing pressure, Mohanlal apologized, stating in his social media post, “I have come to know that some of the political and social themes that have come into play in the film Empuran, 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 harbors hatred towards any political movement, ideology, or sect.”

The film was swiftly re-edited, with 24 scenes and over two minutes of content removed, including riot references and religious imagery.

In 'Kaduva' (2022), a dialogue suggesting differently-abled children were born due to their parents’ sins drew strong criticism. Both Prithviraj and director Shaji Kailas apologized publicly.

Prithviraj wrote on social media, “Sorry. It was a mistake. We acknowledge and accept it.” The team removed the scene, with Shaji offering an apology via Facebook that read, "I request you to consider it as a mistake on our part and forgive us. The fact is that screenwriter Jinu, who wrote the scene, or I, who directed the sequence, or Prithviraj, who acted in the scene, did not think about the other aspects of the dialogue when we were shooting it. We were only thinking about conveying the extent of the villain's cruelty to the audience."