L2:
Empuraan
is
an
ambitious
sequel
that
is
bigger,
bolder
and
timid
in
equal
measure,
observes
Arjun
Menon.
L2:
Empuraan,
the
most
anticipated
Malayalam
release
of
the
year,
is
one
of
the
most
ambitious
tentpole
films
to
have
come
out
of
Indian
cinema
in
a
long
time.
Empuraan
continues
where
the
2018
blockbuster
Lucifer
left
off,
giving
us
a
glimpse
into
the
hidden
world
of
secret
drug
wars
and
international
crime
cartels
lead
by
the
infamous
Ab’raam
Khureshi,
played
wonderfully
by
Mohanlal.
The
film
starts
off
with
a
covert
military
mission
gone
wrong
in
Qaraqosh,
the
‘ghost
town’
on
the
fringes
of
post
war
torn
down
Iraq.
We
then
cut
to
the
communal
violence
that
took
place
in
Gujarat
in
2001.
Murali
Gopi
clearly
has
a
lot
of
ground
to
cover
and
is
in
a
hurry
to
set
up
the
world
of
his
ambitious
sequel.
The
events
escalate
and
alternate
across
different
countries
and
continents
with
breakneck
speed
as
we
are
left
to
play
catchup
with
the
high
stakes
drug
wars
and
geopolitical
intrigue.
Empuraan
is
ultimately
the
story
of
two
orphans,
Ab’raam
Khureshi
and
Zayed
Masood
(Prithviraj
Sukumaran),
who
have
to
fend
against
a
cruel
world
that
took
away
their
families.
The
relationship
between
these
two
men,
of
the
‘crime
lord’
and
his
‘trusted
lieutenant’,
is
the
emotional
core
of
the
film.
It
is
fascinating
to
introduce
your
secondary
lead
as
just
a
side
player
in
the
first
instalment,
only
to
expand
on
his
backstory
in
the
second
part.
Prithviraj,
who
had
an
extended
cameo
in
Lucifer,
is
given
more
dimensionality
that
defines
his
suppressed
efficiency
as
a
hitman.
The
major
part
of
the
second
hour
of
Empuraan
follows
Zayed
Masood’s
vengeance
and
his
traumatic
past
that
made
him
the
stoic,
ruthless
kill
machine
ready
to
defend
Ab’raam
Khureshi
against
any
danger.
The
film
also
tracks
the
newfound
anarchy
in
the
hero’s
hometown
of
Nedumpally,
where
political
developments
have
resulted
in
the
right
wing
party
taking
over
the
reigns
of
the
ruling
IUF,
led
by
Jathin
Ramdas
(Tovino
Thomas)
and
his
initially
dormant
sister
Priyadarshini
Ramdas
(Manju
Warrier).
The
impending
political
unrest
looks
ready
to
implode
Kerala’s
social
landscape.
Subtlety
is
not
something
that
Murali
Gopi
and
Prithviraj
indulges
in
and
we
get
this
through
the
antagonist
Bajrangi
(Abhimanyu
Singh).
Empuraan
moves
at
a
breakneck
pace
and
you
never
feel
the
weight
of
the
information
being
passed
down.
For
instance,
the
screenplay
guides
us
to
Ab’raam
through
the
quick
truth-seeking
whistle
blower
Govardhan
(Indrajith
Sukumaran)
who
seems
to
know
Stephen
Nedumpally’s
secret
identity.
All
these
streams
of
narrative
backlog
is
stewarded
by
Prithviraj
and
his
technical
team,
who
seamlessly
jump
between
tonalities
and
genre
shifts
with
a
sense
of
unbridled
imagination.
Empuraan
is
slightly
weighed
down
by
the
scope
of
its
own
potential
and
Murali
Gopi’s
overwrought
maximalism
gets
in
the
way
of
a
daring
world
building.
There
is
a
beautiful
old
timely
synergy
in
the
way
his
words
find
its
perfect
counterpart
with
the
considered,
stayed
filmmaking
approach
by
Prithviraj
Sukumaran.
This
is
a
busy
world
and
we
get
action
set
pieces
unfurling
over
the
same
timelines
intercut
with
dialogue
scenes
taking
place
elsewhere.
Prithviraj
is
in
total
control
of
this
high
wire
act
of
a
screenplay
that
tries
too
many
things
at
once.
The
archetypes
are
all
there
for
the
pickings
and
Prithviraj
steers
away
from
wasted
moments
by
smartly
swooping
in
and
out
of
the
narrative.
Empuraan
gets
the
world
building
right
and
is
swinging
big
with
its
ideas
and
set
piece
construction.
But
this
time,
the
non-linear
design
of
certain
action
scenes
seem
more
laboured
than
those
in
Lucifer.
We
see
many
films
trying
to
capture
high
octane
action
and
Hollywood
inspired
gunplay
and
explosion
sequences
but
Empuraan
gets
the
scale
just
right
with
enough
panache
to
stand
out
as
a
piece
of
action
cinema.
Prithviraj
shoots
the
hell
out
of
the
action
sequences
and
is
crisp
in
his
edit
that
ensures
that
scenes
run
into
each
other
as
opposed
to
collide,
considering
the
density
of
the
script.
Sujith
Vaasudev
has
clearly
upped
his
game
from
the
original.
Cinematically
speaking,
few
Malayalam
films
have
really
locked
into
a
slick
visual
aesthetic
that
is
both
native
and
international
in
scape.
Mohanlal
is
in
blazing
form
as
both
Stephen
Nedumpally
and
Ab’raam
Khureshi.
Rage
is
a
less
explored
facet
of
the
Mohanlal
persona
in
his
late
period
work
and
you
can
see
Prithviraj
diligently
using
closeups
of
his
eyes
in
ways
never
captured
before
on
screen.
There
is
always
a
tide
of
fury
and
untamable
danger
in
his
gait,
a
clear
departure
from
the
original
film
where
he
always
seemed
like
in
control.
He
is,
in
fact,
in
control
here
as
well
but
there
is
more
urgency
in
his
presence
now.
Mohanlal
delivers
some
of
his
best
performances
of
recent
times
with
his
constantly
sad,
watery
eyes
that
scream
anger
and
resentment
for
the
call
of
duty
he
is
forced
to
take
upon.
Prithviraj
gets
the
meatier
moments
in
the
sequel
and
we
slowly
connect
his
arc
with
that
of
A’braam,
two
angels
kicked
out
of
heaven
for
the
sins
of
others.
There
are
little
nods,
reference
and
dialogue
hints
to
the
first
part
but
this
film
works
perfectly
as
a
standalone
action
film.
The
film
also
integrates
the
fanboy
motifs
of
the
letter
‘L’
and
the
‘cicada’
rings
with
more
fervour
than
the
original.
There
is
more
talk
of
the
secret
societies
and
the
various
nexus
that
runs
the
world’s
socio
political
order.
But
the
muddled
political
potshots
hamper
the
visceral
quality
of
the
first
part
that
made
it
a
smash
success.
There
are
couple
of
climax
cameos
whose
effectiveness
can
be
gauged
only
if
they
make
the
third
installment,
where
they
will
get
the
proper
screen
space.
Prithviraj
and
his
team
should
be
lauded
for
their
conviction
in
going
all
out
and
experimenting
with
a
franchise
in
an
industry
where
such
budgets
and
in-film
universes
are
unheard
of.
There
is
a
clear
thought
that
has
gone
into
the
shape
and
future
of
this
world,
where
nothing
is
just
what
it
seems.
Deepak
Dev’s
rousing,
orchestral
score
is
the
perfect
match
for
the
stately,
epic
filmmaking
that
treats
each
narrative
with
similar
attention.
Having
said
that,
more
than
the
globe-throttling
spectacle,
preachy
politics
and
international
crime
deals,
I
was
blown
away
when
Mohanlal
emerges
out
of
the
forest
wearing
his
black
shirt
and
folds
his
mundu
and
signals
the
incoming
mob
of
gangsters
with
his
trademark
hand
signal.
The
film
never
topped
that
movement
for
its
sheer
anticipation
and
payoff.
Everything
else
seemed
secondary
and
incidental
in
service
of
that
one
cinematic
moment
of
pure
satisfying
image
making.
L2:
Empuraan
Review
Rediff
Rating:
