Goa, March 31 -- Actor Mohanlal has issued an apology following backlash over controversial references to the Gujarat riots in his film L2: Empuraan, the second part of the Lucifer franchise. The actor addressed his fans on Facebook, assuring them that the problematic scenes would be removed from the film.

Mohanlal acknowledged that certain political and social themes in the film had caused distress, and expressed his commitment to ensuring that his work does not promote hatred toward any political movement, ideology, or sect. He wrote in Malayalam, "As an artiste, it is my duty to ensure that none of my films harbors hatred towards any political movement, ideology, or sect."

Taking collective responsibility for the controversy, Mohanla...