L2 Empuraan movie evaluation: Mohanlal, rich production design fail to save this sequel

Mohanlal in ‘L2: Empuraan’ 

Symbolism in artwork is inherently oblique, however in Prithviraj Sukumaran’s Empuraan it’s thrown at your face, one ‘L’ at a time, to remind us of the all-powerful anti-hero Lucifer. Part of a damaged cross atop a rundown church falls down, touchdown in sluggish movement as an ‘L’. Later, a burning tree department falls completely as an ‘L’. If the ‘L’eft backside nook of the display screen have been ‘L’it up, one may have savoured an ‘L’ for the entire ‘L’ength of the movie.

Part of Empuraan’s many issues lies in this over-reliance on the internationally infamous, shadowy determine of Khureshi Ab’raam aka Lucifer whereas relegating his native avatar Stephen Nedumpally (Mohanlal), the central determine of the primary half, to a mere visitor look. Now, Lucifer (2019) was a flawed movie which in its post-release afterlife was become the holy grail of Malayalam industrial filmmaking, though it pales as compared with one of the best of economic entertainers of the Eighties and 90s. Yet, it had one thing going for it. Empuraan has hardly something going for it, aside from the richness of its production design.

The political intrigues in Kerala, which have been on the centre of Lucifer, takes a backseat because the story goes “international”, involving the standard mixture of drug cartels and intelligence businesses we’ve got seen in umpteen movies. One can sense the eagerness in showcasing all of the international locales unfold over continents that the crew went to, for principally quick, pointless sequences that don’t add a lot to the narrative. Playing within the background is the entry of a 3rd political power in Kerala, which can also be linked to Lucifer’s sidekick Zayed Mazood (Prithviraj)‘s origin story, with all of it building up to a predictable climax.

Murali Gopy’s writing usually follows the sample set by 90s industrial potboilers written by the likes of Renji Panicker in lazily sprinkling thinly-veiled references to real-life political figures and happenings within the narrative. It is a low-effort job which will get tiresome after some extent. Added to this is Gopy’s typical dose of biblical references and pop philosophy, in an try to make the screenplay seem extra clever than it truly is.

In Empuraan, all these weaknesses get uncovered as the author fails to create any memorable trade or state of affairs even for Mohanlal whom the movie actually worships. The man doesn’t face a worthy adversary or a battle which challenges him. Manju Warrier is fortunately not relegated to the background as girls are in such star autos. Except for an motion sequence set in a forest, many of the others set-pieces, particularly the climactic one, are satisfactory.

As for the political messaging, even whereas seemingly taking a powerful stand in opposition to communal forces, the screenplay additionally advances the standard propaganda of those exact same forces by portray Kerala politics as a viper’s pit the place the first opposing forces are hand-in-glove with one another and whose secularism is simply a part of an act. Like in Tiyaan, additionally written by Gopy, the overt messaging and the underlying narrative are at odds with one another. The movie, simply as Lucifer did, needs for a flawed, omnipotent, invincible saviour. 

Some of the pre-release fan theories posted on-line had extra fascinating plot strains and character growth than in this mediocre screenplay, which has an emotionally vacant core. If solely even a fraction of the hassle spent within the unprecedented advertising and marketing marketing campaign of the movie was taken in screenwriting, Empuraan might need been a greater movie. 

L2: Empuraan is at the moment working in theatres