After the release of the trailer, the only expectation from L2: Empuraan was that it doesn’t ruin Lucifer, the first part.
(Spoilers ahead)
Direction & Cinematic Style
Prithviraj excelled in his taking; he had an absolute vision that wasn’t going to be forgotten easily by whoever watched the movie. The movie is filled with too many high-motions. There are too many details to note in one scene. This technique might feel overwhelming for some people, but for all the cinephiles, this is what pulls their attention into the movie.
The editing and cinematography by Akhilesh Mohan and Sujith Vaassudev respectively are top-notch in elevating the scene-building that Prithviraj had intended. Although it worked throughout the movie, at times, it might have seemed like an Indian soap opera kind of taking, where every expression of surprise is recorded for the scene that the director feels should be elevated.
Story & Themes
The movie starts from communal riots in 2002 India. The way they made it comes alive with the detail of how women were assaulted, these all serve as visual reminder of it. It almost feels like a battle of Christians and Muslims against Hindus.
Prithviraj projected this using words like “dharm” without any censor by one of the villains, Baba Bajrangi (played by Abhimanyu Singh). It almost feels like how brave the makers were to directly project the past as it was.
From deceit to backstabbing, the most violence a human can be to other humans is shown in it. The movie has all the gruesome that can be expected from such gore.
When we watch Lucifer or Empuraan, the single question that arises is, “Why does the world have this romanticized obsession over Lucifer?” All these movies usually say that God has left the premises and we only have Lucifer to save us.
Lucifer is a fallen angel, kicked out of his archangel status by God because he couldn’t stop himself from helping a human being directly. In the same way, Lucifer, Kureshi Abraham, also intervenes and saves innocent human beings. This is the main crux of the story of Lucifer and L2: Empuraan. This is very well established by the director.
To play the devil or be the savior, it can never be a direct fight, it always has to be a fight from the shadows. How to play the game without even getting caught once is what success depends on. Even the number of the car used by Lucifer and his completely trusting adopted sister also uses the same car, which is called the devil’s number.
Pacing & Details
In the high-motion shots, it sometimes feels like the movie is unnecessarily slow, but the way Prithviraj wants to take us through the cinematic journey is immersive. The research and the details put in by the team are evident in every scene.
A small detail, like Govardhan using an old Iridium model satellite phone that cannot be traced by any other source, is interesting. If you are a sci-fi movie buff, it’s a very good detail that will make you look up about it.
Performances
Mohanlal brings elegance to the screen like no one else. His fantastic appeal is only possible by Lalettan himself. The way he holds the character and his love towards Zyed (Prithviraj) to Jatin Ramadas (Tovino Thomas) is palpable. The sudden anger he feels in the end, it’s almost like Murali Gopy has written the story only for Mohanlal and no one else in that place. Prithviraj envisioned only Mohanlal.
Tovino Thomas played a naive character. He once again proved himself with the calibre that he can do any type of role. In the end, when he was given a choice by Lucifer, his facial expression would be like, “What else will I say? I will say yes”, written on his face.
Usually, to become the leader of a state is hard, but to become a woman leader is twice as hard. The movie has a pakka plot for Priyadarshini Ramdas’s (Manju Warrier) political journey to start. All the dialogues she spoke moves anyone who has an ounce of humanity in them. The way Manju Warrier delivered the character is simply elegant.
Suraj Venjaramoodu plays a small role that keeps the screen alive for whatever time he has.
Andrea Tivadar plays an MI6 agent. Although Prithviraj seems to be trying to make her a MI6 “hero” or give her that attitude of a powerful police officer, she couldn’t do it well and seems like an adolescent girl acting like an MI6 agent.
Karthikeya Dev, who played Prithviraj in Salaar and now in Empuraan, has taken on a complex and weighty role very responsibly and is successful at it.
Music & Background Score
The background music is so good that it doesn’t make us feel the need for songs. There are a couple of songs that are hippy, but the BGM makes up for the entire movie. For all the elevations in action sequences, the BGM is compelling.
L2: Empuraan is a must theatre-watch
For a movie like Lucifer, all the elevations were well deserved. In the same way, L2: Empuraan maintained the same standard. Every elevation, every scene, has its own reason. The way Prithviraj, the director, gave us the subtle to tiny nuances and hints takes you through a cinematic experience.
