By now, it is safe to say that actor Prithviraj Sukumaran’s third directorial venture, L2: Empuraan, starring superstar Mohanlal in the lead role, is the most hyped Malayalam film of all time. And this buzz is not limited to social media alone, as was the case with several recent big-budget, aspirational movies. Empuraan has successfully translated its hype into tangible business, and its presales have so far been extraordinary, even setting advance booking records — just as a major release should.
The excitement surrounding the film isn’t solely driven by Mohanlal’s stardom or the well-executed promotional campaign. A significant factor is that Empuraan serves as the second installment in a planned trilogy that began with Prithviraj’s directorial debut Lucifer (2019), which opened to widespread acclaim and became one of the most successful box office hits in Malayalam cinema history. Now, as Prithviraj gears up to reintroduce Mohanlal as politician Stephen Nedumpally, who operates under the alias Khureshi-Ab’raam in the world of organised crime, expectations have reached an all-time high.