Empuraan will showcase another side of my character Zayed Masood, says Prithviraj

Chennai:  Director Prithviraj Sukumaran, who plays the character of Zayed Masood – the mercenary commando who leads the hit force of the infamous nexus Kureshi-Ab’ram in the Lucifer franchise, has now disclosed that the second part of the franchise Empuraan will showcase another side of his character.

On Wednesday, Malayalam superstar Mohanlal introduced Prithviraj’s character as Zayed Masood in the political action drama L2: Empuraan (L2E).

Taking to his X timeline, Mohanlal wrote, “Character No 2. Prithviraj Sukumuran as Zayed Masood in #L2E #EMPURAAN.” He also shared a link to a youtube video in which Prithviraj spoke about his character in the film and the film itself.

Prithviraj said, “I am Prithviraj. Zayed Masood from the Lucifer franchise. In the first instalment of this franchise, Lucifer, we witnessed an infamous nexus that controls the global gold and diamond trade. The nexus was Kureshi-Abr’am and its hit force was led by a mercenary commando. That’s how you were introduced to Zayed Masood. And that was the only side of Zayed Masood you saw in that film.”

Pointing out that the character of Zayed Masood had a past just like every other character in the franchise that was written by Murali Gopy, Prithviraj said, “Zayed has a story. A world that was his own. What was that story? What was that world like? What was his past? And how did Khureshi-Ab’ram enter that world? You’ll get a brief glimpse of all this in the second part Empuraan.”

Recalling that audiences were introduced to a complex world in Lucifer, Prithviraj said that in the second part, that complexity would deepen even further.

“The number of characters increases. You’ll witness even more settings and landscapes where the story unfolds. But through all of this, we strongly believe that the film maintains a coherant narrative. May the viewers feel the same when they watch it,” he said.

Stating that when the first part of Lucifer ended, audiences, who were introduced to the Khureshi-Ab’ram underworld mega syndicate, left with the feeling that it seemed like there was no force in the world strong enough to take them on, Prithviraj said, “That was the belief we walked away with after watching the movie. But was it true? Or was it a misplaced assumption?”

Mohanlal-starrer L2: Empuraan (L2E) is directed by actor Prithviraj and produced jointly by Antony Perumbavoor and Subaskaran. The film’s story has been penned by Murali Gopy and its music has been scored by Deepak Dev. The film has cinematography by Sujith Vaassudev and editing by Akhilesh Mohan.

It may be recalled that actor Prithviraj, during the initial stages of the film, had disclosed that the film would be a commercial entertainer starring Mohanlal. Murali Gopy, for his part, had said that this would be the second instalment in a three-film series.

‘Lucifer’, the first part of the franchise which released in 2019 and which marked the directorial debut of actor Prithviraj Sukumaran, emerged a blockbuster in just eight days. It went on to make over Rs 200 crore, making it the highest grossing Malayalam film ever.

Needless to say expectations from the sequel, which is scheduled to hit screens on March 27 this year, have soared.

–IANS