L2 Empuraan: United Ambitious Zeal

Star Cast: Mohanlal, Prithviraj Sukumaran, Abhimanyu Singh, Tovino Thomas, Manju Warrier, and Saniya Iyappan
Music Composed Deepak Dev
Cinematography by Sujith Vaassudev
Edited by Akhilesh Mohan 
Directed by Prithviraj Sukumaran 

The greatest secret to making a great film lies in how skillfully you conceal your mistakes rather than in how flawlessly you express your ideas. 

A three day gap has been forced upon me, due to the brute force attack of some malicious people who are unable to take the viewpoint of a simple blogger. Well, Abraham Kureshi found help to rise from ashes and why cannot I. So, took my time to clear everything and talk about this film. In a way helped me to talk a little bit more openly about what I saw on screen and what I could decipher about the intentions of writer Murali Gopy and ambitious zeal of director Prithviraj Sukumaran. If you have not watched the movie yet, my one line is – There is a lot that the makers have attempted with glaring mistakes yet it is watchable with lesser expectations. Now, if you don’t mind, let’s dive deep into the Dark Nexus.

Not hiding Abraham Kureshi for an hour. He is out in open – Spoilers Ahead!!

Commercial cinema often faces criticism, as many tend to look down on it. Yet, at its core, it remains a reflection of what we love to watch and how we enjoy it. Cinema has evolved, whether for better or worse, from an art form, a craft, and an expression into a full-fledged business and industry. Like any industry, it must present year end financial results, showcasing its performance, the livelihoods it sustains, its growth trajectory, and the path forward. A balance sheet becomes essential for everyone involved. However, the free spirit and voice that an art form can and should embody are often drowned out by the survival instincts required in an industry. In many ways, L2 Empuraan struggles with these same challenges, mirroring the balance sheets of commercial cinema. Give me a moment to list these out, and we can delve into them further (don’t worry, it won’t take too long).

• Use your MVP wisely
• Tick all the boxes for big commercial entertainer
• Profit from the craze of a brand
• Deliver more on what people like
• Experiment less – Aim for more.

Craft your film in a way that it aligns with people’s ideologies while simultaneously presenting your own.

In L2 Empuraan, Prithviraj is in no mood to experiment much – he takes the principle “Experiment less, Aim for more” very seriously. He aims to craft a Game of Thrones style narrative, where the set-up takes precedence over the culmination. Think of Arya Stark and Jon Snow’s confrontation with the White Walkers, the build-up is immense, the battles are breathtakingly staged and realistic, but the narrative emphasis lies not on the battles outcomes but on where these outcomes lead. Whether you like the result or not, the sheer scale of the setup heightens your anticipation to sky high levels. Yet, the maker subtly shifts the focus, asking viewers to consider where the story goes from here rather than how satisfactorily it concludes. While Prithviraj avoids experimentation in storytelling, he hints at an even more ambitious destination ahead.

Prithviraj chose to capitalize on the brand’s popularity by keeping Abraham Kureshi hidden for the first hour – a strategy that ultimately did not benefit the film. A screenplay writer often aims for a dramatic opening to captivate the audience and immerse them in the story. On the other hand, viewers typically hope to see the core element they came for as quickly as possible. While delivering more of what the audience loves might have been an option, Prithviraj decided to prioritize his vision of storytelling over immediate gratification. By concealing the “big ticket”moments, he aimed to build anticipation for the third installment and keep viewers craving more. Structuring the film as part of a three part series limited his ability to fully delve into Abraham Kureshi’s character. To balance this, he adopted a TV drama style approach, where each episode leaves threads that lead into the next, allowing him to hint at the bigger picture without fully revealing it.

This attempt backfired, as the story shifted focus to Zayed Masood, yet neither Zayed nor Abraham Kureshi actively contributed to resolving it until the final act. As a result, the emotional connection to revenge was lost, and the divided mood in the auditorium – stemming from external political tensions – made it difficult for the narrative to gain acceptance. The filmmaker’s craft primarily caters to audience preferences.. HFR shots, close ups, expansive sweeping visuals, colossal sets, and grand scale. However, these elements are presented through a straightforward commercial approach rather than experimental visuals. This choice does not challenge the viewer but allows them to simply watch and feel “satisfied for their ticket’s worth“. I will expand on this further.

When your story is incomplete, satisfy the audience’s appetite to such an extent that they crave more, not less.

The story of L2 Empuraan can be summarized in a single line: A child who lost everything in a communal riot chooses a path of constructive revenge over one of destruction. This theme parallels Lucifer’s own journey, as the upcoming L3 will depict the true reign of Lucifer – the fallen angel presiding over the hell that Earth has become, marking The Beginning. As long as God remains, Lucifer must conceal his true nature and act as the devil to restore order. But when God decides to retire, the most worthy to take proper care of his creation is Lucifer. This biblical belief has been the premise of this three part epic saga laced in politics, suppression, oppression, human desire, and radicalism.

In this film, Prithviraj openly expressed his disapproval of a party and its ideology. Without naming names, he highlighted how the Godhra Attacks & the subsequent riots became a pivotal moment in shaping the divisive politics of our country’s future. Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee emphasized that “Raj Dharam“, in the Indian context, signifies secularism. However, during that time, CM Modi asserted that they were indeed practicing “Raj Dharam”. The concept of ‘Raj Dharam’ – the duty of a king, raises an important question: do you play political games for personal gain, or do you govern with the prosperity of the land as your priority? While I plan to share my personal perspective on the political scenario, but the film’s stand is clear that power hunger politicians will corrupt even those people who enter into politics without any ambition.

You can see Tovino Thomas saying that he wants to create his own legacy but at the cost of his father’s image, desires and good human nature. So, his legacy lies in going against his father’s ideals as he hates him. But his ideology in ruling the state is not as ideal as his father. However, his approach to governing the state lacks the moral foundation his father upheld. Consider this line: “The intention behind building a dam is to provide continuous electricity when it rains, but its construction has made the surrounding areas prone to flooding during heavy rainfall”. Now, with the dam aging, the risks have only increased. To address the floods, politicians promise to build a wall around the dam, a solution doomed to fail, yet they remain indifferent to the consequences. So, this kind of politics where intent is not welfare but divisiveness for power and backstabbing the every people who trust them, is the intent behind writer Murali Gopy‘s story.

Coming to direction, Prithviraj Sukumaran’s clearly aims to tick all the boxes of a big star entertainer. He wanted a monumental fight sequence for Mohanlal – CHECK. An iconic introduction for the biggest star of Malayalam cinema – CHECK. A grand build up equating Mohanlal’s real-life stardom to his character’s, making it an event just to meet him – CHECK. Despite winning at every stage, the character needs to lose and fall into a crisis to set up the next installment – CHECK. A clever filmmaker might have used AK’s downfall as the interval point, followed by a larger arc where his conflict with the Chinese Triad becomes a compelling journey. With AK forced to rule one part of the world while Kerala descends further into crisis, the story could have made him even more vulnerable and made the third part far richer to explore. But, the ambition to make the third installment even grander led to the sub plot overtaking the main plot, leaving Empuraan scattered and lacking a clear focus. 

Your ambition dictates your journey, choose wisely…

Use Your MVP Wisely – a principle Prithviraj Sukumaran seems to have overlooked. This isn’t about Mohanlal’s screen time rather, the true MVP of Lucifer lies in its story. Mohanlal’s star power allows the narrative to unfold on the grand scale it demands, but the true essence and driving force of the film is its plot. While Empuraan boasts a layered storyline, it often feels like a reimagining of familiar revenge narratives commonly seen in commercial cinema. What it needed was a distinct signature – a unique mark within the commercial space that sets it apart. Prithviraj went to great lengths to establish the omnipresence of ‘L’, highlighting how elusive Abraham Kureshi is. Yet this storytelling depth wasn’t fully integrated into the narrative. Instead of revolving around a muted conflict where AK’s story intersects with the prioritization of Zayed’s revenge to bring peace to the state, it could have explored a grander war. AK could have faced a monumental external challenge, while the smaller crises escalated into something much larger.

Such an approach could have transformed the screenplay into a far more compelling tale. Consider Ponniyin Selvan [PS 1 and PS 2] as an example: the first film focuses on the mission to save Ponniyin Selvan, while the second delves into Aditya Karikalan’s young love story, leading to an emotionally resonant climax that provides a cinematic high. If Empuraan had adopted a similarly nuanced structure, emphasizing AK’s vulnerability and journey, the trilogy could have delivered a more impactful narrative progression.

Prithviraj and Murali Gopy should have taken notes from the biggest director. Even The Dark Knight [2008] and The Dark Knight Rises [2012] have bigger crisis around Batman but the story tries to focus on the MVP, that is the growth of the fallen angel rather than the outside noise. A focus on how to present the entire narrative without losing focus on whose story it is could have made it even better. Craft wise, Prithviraj is inspired by many filmmakers and it is evident on screen. A Daring film that talks about a political ideology without any fear is more welcome and Prithvi did it very well. With finese in approach and more focus on the bigger picture that the three films are set to achieve in the first place, could have made it a must watch. Overall, aiming for the highest peak – Everest, the makers lost grip and footing at its narrowest curve where oxygen levels go very low. The recovery is evident but it needs to be big in the third part for the ultimate triumph to be made possible.

The Edited Version of L2 Empuraan will be playing from Tuesday.

Theatrical Trailer: