Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], April 1 (ANI): Amidst the ongoing row over Mohanlal-starrer Empuraan movie, Congress MLA Ramesh Chennithala congratulated him and director Murli Gopi 'for giving an excellent film to the Indian public'.

Empuraan stirred a huge row over its alleged portrayal of the 2002 Gujarat riots, which took place during Narendra Modi's tenure as Chief Minister.

Ramesh Chennithala said that the film has to be seen by the people of the country and added that he does not think that any part of the movie should be kept down by the censor board. He emphasised that films are art to reflect the social situation of our society and he film has nothing against anyone.

'I congratulate Mohanlal and Murli Gopi for giving an excellent film to the Indian public...This film definitely has to be seen by the people of our country. I don't think that any part of the film has to be kept down by the Censor Board. The Censor Board is using politics. That is a different case. Otherwise, no portion has to be cut down. When we were in power, several such films came against us, but we had never done such a thing. These art, films, and other things reflect the social situation of our society...This film is nothing against anybody...', Ramesh Chennithala said to reporters on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the production team of 'Empuraan' has announced that the film will undergo revisions in response to the controversy. According to reports, 17 scenes, including those featuring riot sequences and depictions of violence against women, will be edited out.

Mohanlal also issued a statement acknowledging that certain aspects of the film had caused distress to some of his fans and assured that the team had decided to remove such references.

Despite the backlash, 'Empuraan' has achieved remarkable success at the box office. The film, which hit theatres on March 27, became the first Malayalam movie to gross Rs 80 crore worldwide on its opening weekend. (ANI)