Empuraan
promises
a
world
of
geo-political
intrigue,
drug
wars
and
action
spectacle
all
rolled
into
one,
observes
Arjun
Menon.
L2:
Empuraan,
the
much-anticipated
sequel
to
2018’s
Lucifer,
has
been
the
most
hyped
project
from
Malayalam
cinema
for
some
time
now.
The
trailer,
which
runs
for
three
minutes
and
51
seconds
is
a
fast-paced
fan
reel
for
Mohanlal
aficionados
and
offers
a
glimpse
into
the
scope
of
the
much-anticipated
sequel/prequel
project
that
co-stars
Prithviraj
Sukumaran,
Tovino
Thomas,
Manju
Warrier
as
well
as
Game
of
Thrones
actors
Jerome
Flynn
and
Eriq
Ebouaney.
Prithviraj
directs
the
film
too.
The
trailer
starts
with
a
somber
voice-over
delivered
by
P
K
Ramdas,
the
political
patriarch
whose
untimely
death
triggered
the
first
film
into
motion.
We
hear
the
lines,
‘My
children
are
not
my
legacy
bearers.
Those
who
bear
my
legacy
by
default
shall
be
my
children.’
This
takes
place
before
the
timeline
of
the
original
film
where
we
get
to
see
the
state
machinery
toppled
by
the
death
of
its
beloved
chief
minister
and
the
ensuing
power
struggles
that
follow
in
its
wake
between
the
evil
son-in-law
and
the
foster
son
figure
‘Stephen
Nedumpally’,
played
by
Mohanlal.
We
are
then
guided
through
to
the
present
where
we
warned
by
Suraj
Venjaramoodu,
playing
the
Opposition
leader,
that
an
impending
announcement
will
shake
the
very
foundation
of
Kerala’s
secular
society.
The
trailer
takes
its
sweet
time
setting
up
the
stakes,
characters
and
revelations
about
the
new
political
climate
in
the
state.
It
introduces
the
new
players
who
have
made
their
way
into
the
world
of
mafioso
kingpin
‘Khureshi-Ab’raam’.
Lucifer
itself
was
an
anomaly
in
the
scene
of
big-ticket
films
by
way
of
its
uniquely
political
setting
and
larger-than-life
implications
involving
the
drug
mafia,
crime
syndicates,
and
secret
societies.
The
filmmakers
seem
to
have
left
no
stone
unturned
in
mounting
the
sequel,
which
seems
bigger
and
more
visceral
in
its
scale.
The
events
in
the
film
seem
to
be
unraveling
across
the
world
through
Iraq,
Turkey,
France,
China,
the
UK,
the
US
and
Senegal
among
other
places.
We
follow
our
leading
man
Stephen
Nedumpally
aka
Khureshi-Ab’ram,
the
overlord,
who
reigns
over
the
minutiae
of
Kerala
party
politics
and
international
drug
trades
through
his
dual
persona
which
was
established
in
the
first
film.
This
time,
we
are
offered
a
glimpse
into
bigger
battles,
some
fierce
gunplay,
and
a
whole
new
subplot
involving
the
character
of
Zayed
Masood
(played
by
Prithviraj
Sukumaran),
who
is
expected
to
be
the
emotional
hook
of
the
second
installment.
The
frames
by
Sujith
Vaasudev
look
grander
and
explore
a
wider
canvas
than
the
predecessor
with
Deepak
Dev
elevating
the
trailer
with
his
classically
styled
background
score.
The
word
‘L’
calling
back
to
the
eponymous
title
‘Lucifer’
and
‘Mohanlal’,
has
been
used
extensively
throughout
the
trailer,
a
facet
of
the
Lucifer
series,
where
several
motifs
and
visual
cues
are
scattered
all
over
the
high
stakes
action
set
pieces,
are
all
tied
together
by
the
themes
of
the
fallen
angel
or
discarded
demon
from
the
gates
of
hell,
standing
in
for
the
hero.
Empuraan
promises
a
world
of
geo-political
intrigue,
drug
wars
and
action
spectacle
all
rolled
into
one.
L2:
Empuraan
releases
on
March
27.
