L2: Empuraan is a thrilling political action thriller known for its grand production, brilliant acting and deeply woven story. The film’s cinematography, impressive direction and fast-paced screenplay make it a memorable experience for the audience. Mohanlal’s powerful performance and the film’s world-class presentation make it a blockbuster. The film’s complex story and powerful characters make it one of the historical masterpieces of Malayalam cinema. Overall, L2: Empuraan is a thrilling and impressive film that is a must-watch.
Aashirvad Cinemas, Lyca Productions, Sree Gokulam Movies
Language
Malayalam
Country
India
Genre
Political Action Thriller
Starring
Mohanlal, Prithviraj Sukumaran, Tovino Thomas, Manju Warrier, Abhimanyu Singh, Rick Yune, Indrajith Sukumaran, and others
Cinematography
Sujith Vaassudev
Editor
Akhilesh Mohan
Music
Deepak Dev
Budget
₹180 crore (approx.)
Box Office
₹200 crore (approx.)
Release Date
27 March 2025
Running Time
177 minutes
Format
Standard, IMAX, EPIQ
Sequel To
Lucifer (2019)
Next Instalment
Third film in the Lucifer franchise (TBA)
Filming Locations
India, UK, USA, UAE
Notable Aspects
Most expensive Malayalam film, first Malayalam IMAX & EPIQ release
L2: Empuraan Story
‘L2: Empuraan’ is the much-awaited sequel to the 2019 superhit film Lucifer. The story of the film revolves around Stephen Nedumpalli aka Khuraishi Abraham (Mohalal), who has become an internationally powerful man. After the events of the first film, he is not just confined to Kerala politics but also gets involved in the global power game.
The film shows how Stephen, now known to the world as Khureshi Abraham, has built a huge empire. His enemies plot to eliminate him, but he stays two steps ahead of them with his diplomatic moves and power. This time the story is not limited to politics but also involves complex conspiracies of the underworld, international crime syndicates and intelligence agencies.
Some secrets related to Stephen’s past are revealed, which reveals his true identity and intentions. The film will witness a game of power, betrayal and strategy, where Stephen has to fight the toughest battle to protect his existence.
Directed by Prithviraj Sukumaran, the film will be known for its strong action, political drama and suspenseful story. It is the most expensive film in Malayalam cinema till date and will also be released in IMAX and EPIQ formats.
Will Stephen aka Khureshi be able to defeat his enemies and save his empire? To find out, viewers will have to wait for L2: Empuraan!
Movie Review
L2: Empuraan is a bold and ambitious film that will captivate the audience not just because of its big budget and grandeur but also because of its strong political plot.
The film starts off on a thrilling and impressive note. The story begins with the international nexus of Khuraishi Abraham (Mohlal), who has to return to his kingdom to save it from going down a dangerous political path. At the same time, he has to help his closest ally, Zayed Masood (Prithviraj), who wants to avenge the murder of his family.
The first part is full of thrill and suspense. The story starts from a geopolitical perspective, showing the conflict between the ‘African-China God Axis’ and the ‘Indo-Arab Lucifer Nexus’. After a spectacular action sequence in Iran, the film turns to the riots in West India in 2002. This is the event that changed the life of young Zayed Masood forever. The first part delves deep into Zayed’s past, making him a shady and mysterious character. It is not really a ‘villain origin story’ but an ‘anti-hero origin story’. During these riots, Zayed’s family is brutally killed on the orders of Bajrangi, the newly emerging leader of political power.
Nearly two decades later, the story returns to Kerala, where investigative journalist Govardhan (Indrajith) learns that Bajrangi now has his eyes on Kerala. Meanwhile, the state’s chief minister, Jatin Ramadoss (Tovino Thomas), formerly an idealistic leader, is now at odds with his party and sister Priyadarshini (Manju Warrier). He suddenly announces that he is changing the direction of his politics, which leads Kerala to move towards communal politics.
This change forces Govardhan to bring back Stephen Nedumpalli (Khureshi Abraham). Meanwhile, internationally, Khureshi continues his ‘Narcotics is a dirty business’ campaign by destroying a billion-dollar drug shipment from South America to Europe via Senegal. This part of the film is the most impressive and entertaining, where Khureshi makes a dashing entry into the West African desert on an Apache bike.
However, the second half of the film fails to maintain the momentum of the first. While Kerala politics could have been more exciting and intense, the story slows down. Jatin Ramadoss has made dubious alliances for a dangerous dam project in Nedumpalli. Will Priyadarshini be able to save her family’s political legacy? Will Nedumpalli return? Will Khuraishi keep his promise to Zayed and avenge his family’s death?
While Lucifer gave us moments of surprise and shock, Empuraan lacks that novelty and excitement. Though the film has many big and memorable scenes, it doesn’t have the same impact as the first film.
Music and Cinematography:
Deepak Dev’s music makes the film’s spectacular visuals even more impressive. Sujith Vasudev’s cinematography maintains a balance between action and slow scenes.
Acting and Direction:
Even veteran actors like Mohlal and Manju Warrier seem a bit restrained. A little more fiery dialogue delivery and charismatic performances were expected in a big budget film.
Movie Trailer
Conclusion
L2: Empuraan is an ambitious and grand political thriller, shot on a grand scale and filled with several interesting twists. However, the story doesn’t seem as impressive as the first part, Lucifer. The first part has great thrills and a great backstory, but the second part loses momentum. The direction, cinematography and background score of the film are superb, but the dialogues and characters lack a strong impact. Still, it is a good entertainer that takes Malayalam cinema to new heights and leaves the audience eager for the sequel.
