L2: Empuraan

Posted on March 30, 2025 by Tennyson

Vampire Owl: So, finally we have a sequel to Lucifer.

Vampire Bat: This has surely been the one movie hyped more than any other.

Vampire Owl: Well, I remember waiting for an eternity.

Vampire Bat: When a vampire calls a time period and eternity, that should be long.

Vampire Owl: There has been so much of talk about this that it feels like an eternity.

Vampire Bat: Well, it was the biggest movie of its time, so that is indeed natural.

Vampire Owl: So, are we looking for the biggest grossing Malayalam movie of all-time?

Vampire Bat: I don’t see why not. The movie that holds that position now do not deserve the title.

Vampire Owl: Yes, that was a movie with zero content.

Vampire Bat: We will never understand how that strange movie of jobless youngsters on a trip managed to get that much of attention.

[Gets an egg puffs and three cups of orange tea].

What is the movie about? :: The movie starts in the year 2002, a flashback of events during a communal event where the innocents are killed, and murders happen without remorse. In between, we see a Muslim family taking refuge in the home of Subhadra Ben (Nikhat Khan), a local political activist and member of a royal family. They feel that they are safe when within this stronghold, but it would soon be revealed that they are wrong. The nephews of the same person would take hold of the situation and brutally attack and murder everyone whom she had provided refuge to, also killing her in the process. The two men involved, Munna (Sukant Goel) and Balraj (Abhimanyu Singh) get the crowd support as well as the support of the political party that found its roots stronger with this riot, and they find themselves good enough to be major part of the same political party, while the scars of this situation remain in the minds of everyone.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Back in Kerala, the Chief Minister and the head of Indian Union Front (IUF) Jathin Ramdas (Tovino Thomas) struggles to keep things going due to him being investigated upon by multiple intelligence agencies for money laundering and financial scams. It is then that a new opposition party, Akhanda Shakthi Morcha (ASM), with its roots in North India, gains prominence in Kerala under the leadership of Sajanachandran (Suraj Venjaramoodu). Jathin seeks the help of the new force in Kerala, as he feels that the central investigative agencies could help him escape from the cases going on against him. At the same time, Priyadarshini Ramdas (Manju Warrier) fights against the dam which has come up at Nedumpilly, from where her family has seen growth within the political party. She sides with the common people there, much to the dismay of Jathin who finds himself on the other side.

And what more happens here to add to the chaos? :: Meanwhile, Stephen Nedumpally (Mohanlal) has not been around in Kerala for quite a long time as he has been focusing on handling the bigger businesses under the name Khureshi Ab’raam, with the help of Zayed Masood (Prithviraj Sukumaran) and other loyal companions. The incidents back in Kerala does not seem to concern him anymore, much to the dismay of Govardhan (Indrajith Sukumaran), Father Nedumpilly (Fazil), Murukan (Baiju Santhosh), Aparna (Shaun Romy), Murukan (Baiju Santhosh), Sanjeev Kumar (Giju John), Arundhathi Sanjeev (Nyla Usha) and others. Meanwhile, MI6 agents like Boris Oliver (Jerome Flynn) and Michele Menuhin (Andrea Tivadar) are on the hunt for the Khureshi gang. But there is another gang from Africa involved, as things get more complicated. But the two gangs might not be all that Stephen should be worried about. Can he handle his multiple problems well enough? Or will God’s Own Country fall to a new world order too?

The defence of L2: Empuraan :: The second part of Lucifer seems to keep a quality in the making that is beyond the usual films that we come across. With Mohanlal and Prithviraj Sukumaran, Tovino Thomas also steals the show, and it is sad that we won’t see his character anymore. Suraj Venjaramood comes with a strong performance and so does Abhimanyu Singh as a villain to be noted, except for the last few minutes. The visuals are just too good to forget, and we will remember a few moments for how well it was shown on the big screen. One would feel that this kind of a spectacle might not be made in Malayalam cinema any time soon, which justifies so many people watching it on the big screen only. Some of the classic shots remind us that we are watching something beyond the usual, showing the quality like never before in Malayalam industry. The stage for sequel is nicely set, and we would feel that it would surely be a better one than this. The feeling that there is something beneath all of these remains around.

The claws of flaw :: The movie often forgets the most important factor, that of telling a story in a believable manner while trying to make it feel bigger and international. In the process, it wastes some of its main characters. Mohanlal arrives rather late, and Prithviraj comes like two hours later. Manju Warrier’s moments would have been better if it was part of the first movie, but in this one, it seems repetitive and forced. The worst part comes when there are so many subordinates with guns and the hero decides to do the fight so many people himself. Almost all the fights are rather too long and slowed down further with slow-motion sequences. Other seemingly important characters like the ones played by Andrea Tivadar just walk around in this movie dominated by male heroes and villains. Indrajith Sukumaran and Saniya Iyappan should have had bigger roles, but that was not to be. The same is the case of Baiju Santhosh. It is to be noted that unlike the first movie, there is no dialogue here that we will remember, and have to look back to the original for the same.

How it finishes :: L2: Empuraan has proven to be strong sequel to a movie which made the difference like no other. It depends on the first film to extend the impact and keeps itself in a struggle to make the canvas a lot bigger. It is successful in making the whole thing feel bigger, but not that bigger in the quality of content. The mystery of the main character has already been revealed, and in this one, he is too powerful to be in any kind of danger and for us to feel for the person. As a treat for the fans, and for the high quality making, this would stay on for longer. The success of this movie is a certainty and we hope that it would get more collections than the movie which leads the list of Malayalam movies which managed to get the highest collections. The effort that has been put in here would need our appreciation, and it deserves to be at its top. We would be waiting to see how far it goes after breaking all records.

Release date: 27th March 2025
Running time: 180 minutes
Directed by: Prithviraj Sukumaran
Starring: Mohanlal, Tovino Thomas, Manju Warrier, Prithviraj Sukumaran, Indrajith Sukumaran, Andrea Tivadar, Saniya Iyappan, Jerome Flynn, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Fazil, Sai Kumar, Sukant Goel, Baiju Santhosh, Nandhu, Nikhat Khan, Sachin Khadekar, Eriq Ebouaney, Shivaji Guruvayoor, Aneesh G. Menon, Manikuttan, Nyla Usha, Giju John, Satyajit Sharma, Oziel Jivani, Aishwarya Ohja, Nayan Bhatt, Shubhangi Latkar, Alexx O’Nell, Mikhail Novikov, Murugan Martin, Behzaad Khan, Sshivada, Jaise Jose, Shaun Romy, Antony Perumbavoor

<<< Click here to go to the previous review.

<<< Click here to go to the previous Malayalam review.

<<< Click here to go to the previous thriller review.

<<< Click here to go to the previous visual extravaganza.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Lucifer

Posted on April 14, 2019 by Tennyson

What is the movie about? :: Kerala is ruled by IUF, and its leader and Chief Minister PK Ramdas (Sachin Khedekar) is a respected figure with a great fan following, not just among the people of his party, but also outside. It is his death which changes things in Kerala’s politics, all of a sudden. Mahesh Varma (Saikumar) who is next in charge finds this to be a golden opportunity to become the leader of the party as well as the Chief Minister of the state. Ramdas’ eldest daughter Priyadarshini (Manju Warrier) along with her daughter Jhanvi (Saniya Iyappan) is the first to come to the scene. Her second and current husband Bimal Nair a.k.a. Bobby (Vivek Oberoi) keeps close watch of the situation at the same time. Even though Priyadarshini and Jhanvi are not after political power, Bobby looks forward to it so that he can use it to spread his narcotics business to Kerala and earn a great amount of money.

So, what happens with the events to follow? :: Meanwhile, the only son of Ramdas, Jathin (Tovino Thomas) is living abroad. Bobby figures out that he is the one big chance that they have here, and by making him the new leader, could go through the drug business without anyone coming to know. He already has the support of Mahesh Varma and Priyadarshini regarding the same. He uses Jhanvi as a means to go through the family smoother. Govardhan (Indrajith Sukumaran) is one of those people who knows all these, as he had been searching for truth for a very long time – but he finds himself locked inside a mental asylum, thanks to Bobby. But before he is locked up, he finds the one other person who might be part of this power struggle – Stephen Nedumpally (Mohanlal), an orphan who was raised by Ramdas, a people’s favourite leader from the highrange constituency of Central Kerala.

And what else is to follow? :: Stephen Nedumpally is the kind of person none of the power seekers here want to have in the game, and the family also wants no part of him out there. The politicians on both sides, Mahesh Varma on one side and Medayil Rajan (Shivaji Guruvayoor) on the other wants him gone. Bobby is also hoping to make no mistakes, as he is playing a dangerous game involving Abdul (Suresh Chandra Menon) and Fyodor (Frank Free) who are masters of the game in Mumbai. He would have Stephen’s opposition out of the way as the party would be sponsored by the drug mafia. The people in the middle part of all these including Aloshy Joseph (Kalabhavan Shajohn) and Murugan (Baiju Santhosh) will have interesting roles to play as Kerala prepares for the big change. But the question remains about who would gain and loss the most in the battle between evil and evil.

The defence of Lucifer :: Unlike what was expected, Lucifer doesn’t jump into the shoes of a mass movie all of a sudden, and that is the clear advantage that this one has over Pulimurugan. Clearly a better movie having content of quality and rich in ideas, this one rises over the expected mass masala, and becomes more, but at the same time, it never hesitates to provide what the fans want. There is working on two levels, something which Odiyan could have focused on, to become a favourite. There are elements from politics nicely used too, and we get to go through a certain dirty side that attempts to take over politics every time, and may be even succeeds up to an extent. The action scenes are nicely done, and except for a very few, keeps itself in control to make us believe. The control that is maintained in the final scene with the song nicely contributing to it, is also worth mentioning. There is a higher level of making here, and the thrills are of great strength.

The claws of flaw :: The slow motion sequences, even though less in number, could have been avoided. There could have been more of Tovino Thomas on the screen too. Vivek Oberoi’s character could have been bigger terror, something that could pose a challenge that goes a long way ahead. The presence of predictable elements in between, should have been avoided. The references and allusions made in the movie also seems nice, but could have been better connected. There are quotes shown in the end including the one from Lucifer as the tragic figure of John Milton’s Paradise Lost who famously declares “Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven”; we also have “Hell Is Empty and All the Devils Are Here” from William Shakespeare’s The Tempest being shown on the screen in the end – is there something left for a sequel? One is left to wonder. The use of media could also been better shown. The movie is also too long.

The performers of the soul :: It is late to review a movie which has reached the 100 crore collection mark already, Pulimurugan, Drishyam, Oppam and this one leading the glory with the rest – almost everyone knows what Mohanlal has brought to this movie as the titular character, and needs no more talk about the same, as Stephen Nedumpally is grand. Meanwhile, the one person who steals the show with less amount of screen time is Tovino Thomas whose moments are nothing less than glorious. Manju Warrier has her fine emotional moments in here following Odiyan. Vivek Oberoi’s villain doesn’t maintain that terror that he seemed to possess in the beginning, but he is a fine choice for the role as we can see. Kalabhavan Shajohn, Saikumar, Baiju Santhosh, Shivaji Guruvayoor, Nandhu – all the characters play the roles of politicians with ease. Meanwhile, we see Shaun Romy of Kammatipaadam making an appearance after a long time. There is a long line of extended support here too.

How it finishes :: When someone like Prithviraj Sukumaran comes up with his directorial debut, you know that there is something special coming up. His previous movies as the leading actor had the Hollywood touch, whether it was the never before science fiction apocalyptic thriller called 9 or the diasporic crime drama set in a deteriorating, decaying city called Ranam – this one has the elements beyond the usual Malayalam movie, and as a flick written by Murali Gopy, we know that there is more. Lucifer is the kind of movie which combines its elements very well, and thus becomes a rare piece of a flick. It can be liked for more than one reason, and there is much to cherish for almost every kind of viewer. Well, this is Vishu and Easter is also on its way, and we have much to watch. For now, I wish all of you a Very Happy Vishu, and hope you enjoy the holidays well – but at the same time, be careful about the heat which is rising.

Release date: 28th March 2019
Running time: 174 minutes
Directed by: Prithviraj Sukumaran
Starring: Mohanlal, Tovino Thomas, Manju Warrier, Prithviraj Sukumaran, Indrajith Sukumaran, Saniya Iyappan, Kalabhavan Shajohn, Giju John, Saikumar, Baiju Santhosh, Fazil, Sachin Khedekar, Suresh Chandra Menon, Shivaji Guruvayoor, Nandhu, John Vijay, Aneesh G Menon, Kainakary Thankaraj, Bala, Adil Ibrahim, Shaun Romy, Adarsh, Helen, Frank Freem, Waluscha De Sousa, Sijoy Varghese, Thara Kalyan, Parvathi T, Binu Pappu, Parvathy Menon, Sreeya Remesh, Sshivada, Antony Perumbavoor, Shakti Kapoor

<—Click here to go to the previous review.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Kammattipaadam

Posted on December 1, 2016 by Tennyson

Vampire Owl :: Did you hear that the kids at Kammattipaadam can stop not just the buses, but also the trains?

Vampire Bat :: Yes, I have heard about it. The same is a dialogue spoken by Dulquer Salmaan.

Vampire Owl :: We should hire a few of them then. Our zombie minions don’t even stop the tricycles.

Vampire Bat :: It is certainly not the reason for us to watch this movie.

Vampire Owl :: There is one reason for us not watching this movie. It is that the director’s first movie Annayum Rasoolum had me sleeping for so long.

Vampire Bat :: I remember having many cups of tea in between, and when I returned to the theatre, nothing had happened.

Vampire Owl :: But the zombie minions had liked it; it is as slow as them, and so it is the one movie which they could finally watch.

Vampire Bat :: I did like Njan Steve Lopez better. It was the story of common man, closer to life than ever.

Vampire Owl :: And this is the movie the best appreciated by critics and the audience.

Vampire Bat :: Lets go for it then.

[Gets three cups of tea with tapioca chips].

What is the movie about? :: Krishnan (Dulquer Salmaan), who works as part of a security agency in Mumbai, receives a call from Ganga (Vinayakan) who was his childhood friend and partner in crime. Even though the old friend doesn’t say anything clearly, Krishnan understands that Ganga needs his help because someone is after his blood, and it is only a matter of time until he has to see the corpse of his friend. Krishnan decides that despite the problems that they had in between, he needs to help the one true friend that he had, and travels to Cochin to find Ganga. But things have changed since he was last there in the city, and it is no more that developing town, but a thriving city which is having metro rail under development, and building that go straight up.

So how did it reach here? :: The flashback is long and told in parts while Krishnan goes on with his search for Ganga in a city which has become more than he had imagined it long ago. The memories has Krishnan and Ganga as best friends during childhood. As Ganga is a lower caste boy, Krishnan’s parents are against this friendship which also leads to them being involved in illegal activities during early youth. As Ganga’s elder brother Balan (Manikandan R Achari) is a well known thug and earns money by making and smuggling spirit, they have their own trainer in deeds of crime. They are all working for Surendran a.k.a. Ashaan (Anil Nedumangad). It is with the return of Krishnan from prison, after serving the sentence for the attempted murder of a policeman, that things get tougher.

Where are things heading for? :: Krishnan is in love with Anitha (Shaun Romy), Ganga’s relative whom Ganga himself wishes to marry. This creates certain tension, which gets worse with the death of Balan a few months after his marriage with Rosamma (Amalda Liz). Johnny (Shine Tom Chacko) is also their rival in the illegal activies, and fire keeps burning in them as he is suspect of murdering Balan. During these many years at the city of Cochin because it became what is seen now, there are many stories that go forgotten, and Krishnan looks forward to finding some of them which happened during these days of his absence. He managed to relocate to Mumbai to get away from all his troubles while Ganga had married Anitha. He will find some uncomfortable truths in between, and some news which will give him relief, but the question remains if he can find his best friend Ganga alive in between all this chaos?

The defence of Kammattipaadam :: The best strength of this movie are its characters that stay with us for a long time. It is also not a movie of one person, but of many, as the screen space is nicely shared between the main characters. We have Dulquer Salmaan who come up with a wonderful performance as the protagonist rising from the terrible movie which was Kali while Vinayakan and Manikandan R Achari steals the show with their brilliant work. Shine Tom Chacko comes up with one of his best performances, and Shaun Romy is very good in her role of lesser significance, and same is the case of Amalda Liz – the cast is all perfectly done. The visuals are also very nice, and you will love the way things are presented, as the common man and the subaltern struggle in this battle against a rising higher class that uses these people to their advantage, as it is the story everywhere.

Claws of flaw :: The movie’s disadvantage is its length, which goes as much as very close to three hours. There remains very less people who have the patience to watch a three hour long movie these days. Yes, it does move slowly towards its destination. The ‘A’ certificate is another thing, and it is disappointing because this one doesn’t deserve the same in its current status after the cuts – one would misinterpret the same, but Kammattipaadam is rather clean in that matter. This one also won’t appeal for everyone, and it also could have done without making its story-teller a hero in the end – if he also had met the end or felt more of the terrible situation which he had a part in creating, things would have finished perfectly, but it is not the case.

How it finishes :: This flick happens to be another one which tells the stories of the subaltern, who are there under a thriving city. The special case of this movie though, is that it remains realistic right from the beginning to the end. It reflects on the life that is difficult and right in between a world full of thorns. It is the same reason why the movie is so touching – the movie tells the tale of a struggle that the subaltern had to suffer; it is a story that the common man can relate with. It is due to corporate, the rich and the influential that the common man suffers, and it is them with the politicians that misguides the poor – Kammattipaadam is a tale that comes up with the same story, but in a realistic way, and here we understands that it is the same story everywhere, and there is no escape from the sad brutality of it. This movie makes sure that we know the truth. Unlike some other movies of these times, Kammattipaadam is not here to pretend or to hide, for it unleashes reality.

Release date: 20th May 2016
Running time: 177 minutes
Directed by: Rajeev Ravi
Starring: Dulquer Salmaan, Vinayakan, Manikandan R Achari, Vinay Forrt, Shine Tom Chacko, Anil Nedumangad, Amalda Liz, Shaun Romy, P. Balachandran, Suraj Venjarammood, Alencier Ley Lopez, Anjali Aneesh, Muthumani, Sreekanth Chandran, Shane Nigam, Ganapathy, Soubin Shahir