Veteran Malayalam actor Mohanlal has become the target of trolling after he posted a heartfelt note condemning the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, which claimed the lives of more than 26 individuals.
The super star found himself at the centre of social media backlash for his role in ‘Empuraan,’ where he portrays a character mentoring a Kashmiri youth who becomes a mercenary, leading to accusations of hypocrisy.
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Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Mohanlal expressed deep sorrow over the loss of innocent lives, calling the attack “devastating” and urging the nation to stay united in grief and hope.
In his post, Mohanlal wrote, “My heart goes out to the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack. It is devastating to witness such cruelty. No cause can ever justify the taking of innocent lives. To the grieving families, your sorrow is beyond words. Please know that you are not alone. The entire nation stands with you in mourning. Let us hold on to each other a little tighter and never let go of the hope that peace will prevail even in the face of darkness.”
The comment section of his post quickly filled with criticism linking his role in Empuraan to perceived political messaging.
One user commented, “Shame on you! Your just-launched movie narrated a boy getting trained in Kashmir and launching an attack against India! For money, you guys stoop to any low!”. Another comment read, “Take one more Empuraan and justify terrorism,” “Have lost all respect for this man.” A third one commented, “We don’t trust your words anymore.” A fourth one commented, “You got a script for making another movie with your Zayed Masood!!!”
“I’m sorry to be rude but your latest movie literally glorified foreign Islamic mercenaries and you lost a lot of goodwill by choosing to associate with that crowd. So, spare us the theatrics while we are mourning our people,” tweeted another person under his post.
Some netizens challenged whether future sequels of Empuraan would depict the Pahalgam attack .
Following Tuesday’s terrorist attack, Malayalam actor Prithviraj, who directed the movie,Empuraan, also faced renewed backlash, with users posting critical comments on his earlier social media posts.
However, several other netizens expressed concern over the intensity of the criticism. The level of hate directed at Mohanlal was disproportionate compared to others involved in the film, some have pointed out.
