L2: Empuraan

A few days before the release of L2: Empuraan, actor/director Prithviraj Sukumaran was asked in a press conference about how Malayalam films banked on content for their acclaim/success, and if his film would follow suit. Given that the film was a sequel to the 2019 hit Lucifer, Mohanlal’s bid for a globe-trotting, convoluted spy thriller fused with a homegrown tale of political succession, the condescending tone of the question addressing the sequel wasn’t entirely unreasonable. And thus, Sukumaran stepped in to say it was still ‘content’ that had dictated the making of L2; only the content was expensive to shoot. When I saw this clip two days before the film’s release, I fobbed it aside as another one of those empty promises made during a marketing campaign. But only two days later, I found out that the film was being targetted by right-wing forces. This is going to be a challenging review to write because L2: Empuraan is barely a competent film. Inheriting the vague world-building of the first film, Sukumaran’s film is everywhere and nowhere. One of the two primary plotlines takes place in Kerala around its local politics, while the other takes place between Senegal, London, Iraq and Berlin.

Empuraan, the sequel to the 2019 Malayalam film Lucifer, is a high-budget, globe-trotting actioner reminiscent of productions from YRF or the Tamil and Telugu film industry. The success of its predecessor has elevated the scale and ambition of this installment. However, with such ambition often comes the risk of overlooking essential elements in favor of a grander vision. In this instance, the screenplay suffers due to an emphasis on extravagant action, where style frequently overshadows substance. At nearly three hours in length, the film initially packs in a great deal of content but later tends to meander. Prithviraj, who has transitioned from actor to director, possesses the vision necessary for a project of this magnitude, yet the foundational material must be robust. The film clearly aims to appeal to mass audiences, featuring slow-motion sequences and other stylistic choices. While there is nothing inherently wrong with this approach, it occasionally aspires to get serious,, and the fusion of these elements does not always produce the desired effect. It is helpful to recall key details from Lucifer, which was released five years ago. The narrative reintroduces international crime syndicates and the underworld, with Khureshi (Mohanlal) returning to the fray. Regrettably, the local character Stephen Nedumpally, also portrayed by Mohanlal and central to the action in Lucifer, takes a back seat in this sequel.

How much solemn politics is too much solemn politics in an out-and-out action movie that aspires to be much more than just a vehicle for three of Kerala’s top male stars? No matter what L2: Empuraan, toplined by a superstar who has ruled the roost for decades and helmed by another who pulls out the stops both as director and actor, packs into its three hours by way of larger commentary, the gap between intent and result not only refuses to go away, but also fluctuates wildly. There is, of course, no known limit to what degree, and sort, of topical relevance a thriller must attain in order to break free of its genre confines and assume elevating social significance. L2: Empuraan, a Malayalam tentpole production whose Hindi dub is in theatres nationwide, is anything but frugal with its barbs at the abuse of power and the pitfalls of personality cults. The second part of a planned trilogy that began with the 2019 hit Lucifer, this Prithviraj Sukumaran-directed potboiler mixes up its visceral chops, ultra-violent spirals into excess and visual pizzazz with all-out attempts to show up forces that are out to destabilise Kerala in a fictional world that intermittently mirrors the real one in which those in authority lay down the rules to suit their immediate agendas.

It was 2019. It was when actor Prithviraj Sukumaran turned director for the first time. When Lucifer, starring Mohanlal, one of the big Ms of Mollywood, hit theatres, it transcended borders. Lucifer found love not just in Kerala, but in other parts of the country, thanks to its layered storyline, which helped audiences find new details with every re-watch. Five years later, Lucifer’s sequel Empuraan has hit theatres with a big budget and bigger expectations. Kerala Chief Minister Jathin Ramdas (Tovino Thomas) is facing multiple charges of corruption and failure to uphold the values of his late father Ramdas (Sachin Khedekar). Meanwhile, the people of Kerala are disappointed, and he is facing opposition from a new political party with Hindutva ideals. Then there is Khuresh Ab’raam (Mohanlal), with his mysterious persona tackling the Kabuka clan. The local unrest in Kerala and the dwindling political climate make room for Ab’raam’s entry into the state to set things straight.

A movie becomes more violent the further it gets from movie violence. Movie violence insulates. It excites, titillates, comforts. It reassures audiences that what they’re seeing isn’t real and need not be taken too seriously. A realistic punch in the face registers more strongly than a hero sending half a dozen bodies flying through the air. Movie violence has no wish to distress or dismay, or to remind you of violence in the real world. The opening credits of Prithviraj Sukumaran’s L2: Empuraan, a sequel to his Lucifer (2019), show the burning of a train compartment with Hindu passengers in 2002, as had happened in Godhra, Gujarat that year. The sequence that follows shows the bloody reprisal, as Hindu mobs go on the rampage. It has the hallmarks of Indian movie violence—a truck barreling through a gate, sword-wielding goons leaping through the air, speed ramping, various things on fire—but the idea is to disturb and reckon with history. A group of Muslims offered shelter by a Hindu landowner are ambushed, sexually assaulted, burnt alive and otherwise brutally murdered. The reference to the Naroda Patiya massacre, in which 97 Muslims were killed in a day, is made clear by naming the chief perpetrator Baba Bajrangi (one of the actual accused was Bajrang Dal leader Babu Bajrangi).

The genius of Lucifer and Empuraan is that, despite spanning more than six hours of runtime (two films put together), the filmmakers continue to maintain the suspense about the origin of Stephen Nedumpalley (Mohanlal). What’s more impressive is the way director Prithviraj has scaled up this character. Stephen is not just a political kingmaker anymore. In Empuraan, he becomes much more, and to be honest, the conflict in Empuraan seems to be too small for him. That’s the downside of the film, as the villains are no match for the powers of Stephen. The first part, Lucifer, ended with a major reveal that Stephen Nedumpalley is a crime lord named Khureshi Abraham, a most wanted leader of an international syndicate. While Lucifer showed us, Stephen, Empuraan unravels his other facet: Khureshi Abraham. The film opens with a flashback to a violent riot in India. Director Prithviraj is clever in not delving into the details of the riot. Yet, the animated sequence of a burning train that kills Hindu pilgrims is enough to deliver the intended message. The aftermath of the riot leads to bloodshed and we find a kid named Zayed Masood, a lone survivor of a small Muslim community, which gets butchered, raped, and killed by Balraj (Abhimanyu Singh) and his bloodthirsty mob.