L2: Empuraan is a 2025 Indian Malayalam-language political action thriller film directed by Prithviraj Sukumaran, written by Murali Gopy and jointly produced by Antony Perumbavoor, Subaskaran Allirajah and Gokulam Gopalan through Aashirvad Cinemas, Lyca Productions and Sree Gokulam Movies. It is the sequel to the Lucifer (2019) and also the second installment in the Lucifer Franchise, starring Mohanlal in the lead role, along with an ensemble cast consisting of Prithviraj Sukumaran, Tovino Thomas, Abhimanyu Singh, Manju Warrier, Indrajith Sukumaran, Jerome Flynn, Andrea Tivadar, Eriq Ebouaney and Kishore while Rick Yune and Pranav Mohanlal make cameo appearances. The film follows an international syndicate leader, Khureshi-Ab'raam, who seeks to return to Kerala after the state is threatened by a right-wing extremist, Balraj Patel, alias Baba Bajrangi, while also extending his influence in the global geopolitics.
Lucifer was conceived as a three-part film series from the outset. The first film's success led to the decision to proceed with the second in the series. It was announced in June 2019, and production, originally planned for mid-2020, faced delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Murali took the opportunity to expand the scale and scope of the film. The screenplay was finalised in July 2022, and pre-production began the next month. Lyca joined in September 2023, and in March 2025, Gopalan joined as a co-producer, following financial disputes with Lyca. Deepak Dev composed the original soundtrack and the background score.
Principal photography took place from October 2023 to December 2024, spanning 145 days across sporadic schedules in India, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Made on a crore budget, L2: Empuraan was released in theatres on 27 March 2025 in standard, IMAX, EPIQ formats, and was the first Malayalam movie to release on IMAX. It is the most expensive Malayalam film to date. Upon release, it received mixed reviews from critics. However, L2: Empuraan became a commercial success and was the first Malayalam film to cross ₹250 crore (grossed over ). It is currently the third highest-grossing Malayalam film of all time and tenth highest-grossing Indian film of 2025.
Plot
In 2002, communal riots broke out in Gujarat between the Hindus and Muslims which were orchestrated by several political groups and extremists after the Godhra train burning, forcing a young Zayed Masood and his family to flee. They seek refuge with Subhadra Ben, a kind lady and the head of a large royal family. She entrusts their safety to her nephew, Munna. However, Munna, harbouring a deep hatred towards Muslims, informs his elder brother and Hindu extremist leader, Bajrangi Balraj. Subhadra Ben is killed by Balraj for "betraying" her community. Balraj leads a mob that massacres Zayed's family. Zayed takes his younger brother Zaheer and flees, only to later discover him dead. Zayed suddenly screams after losing his family.
In the present, six years into his tenure as the Chief Minister of Kerala, Jathin Ramdas, who has become extremely corrupt, dishonest, and selfish to the core, finds himself under investigation by several intelligence agencies for corruption and involvement in money-laundering scams. Priyadarshini, Jathin's elder sister, worries about his behavioral change as a politician and as a son. Akhanda Shakthi Morcha (ASM), a new political front, gains prominence in Kerala. Unexpectedly, Jathin announces his resignation from the IUF to form a new faction, IUF (PKR), which is allied with ASM, whose leader is Balraj, now operating under the alias Baba Bajrangi. Balraj plans to amass his wealth and create support for his party under the guise of public service by exploiting Kerala's political landscape and creating communalism in Kerala. Meanwhile, Govardhan has been investigating Stephen Nedumpally, P. K. Ramdas' adopted son, who disappeared from politics after Jathin took office.
In the UK, MI6 chief Boris Oliver has been pursuing the infamous International secret society Khureshi Ab'raam nexus. On the other hand, Interpol officer Robert McCarthy covertly conspires with Kabuga, an African crime lord, and Sergei Leonov, a former associate of Khureshi, to traffic drugs from Senegal to Guinea. Khureshi, who opposes drug trafficking, intercepts the operation along the Senegal-Guinea-Bissau border and eliminates Robert and Leonov. He arranges a meeting with Kabuga at Qaraqosh. Boris assigns his colleague, MI6 agent Michele Menuhin, Robert's friend, to track Khureshi Ab'raam. Unbeknownst to Menuhin, Boris has been secretly affiliated with Khureshi Ab'raam Nexus and leaks the information to him.
Govardhan’s search in India leads him to Daniel Rawther, a friend of Stephen, who drugs him and transports him to New York City. There, Govardhan discovers that Stephen has been living under the alternate identity Khureshi Ab’raam. Stephen reassures Govardhan that he will return to India, but first departs for Iraq to eliminate the Kabuga Cartel with the help of his deputy, Zayed Masood. After successfully killing the cartel, Stephen fakes his own death with assistance from Govardhan, Boris, and the NPTV channel, throwing Kerala’s political landscape into uncertainty. It is also revealed that Stephen had been assisting intelligence agencies, as Robert was actually a double agent.
Meanwhile, Priya protests against the construction of a controversial check dam in Nedumpally. During the protest, she is attacked by assailants arranged by Balraj but manages to escape into a forest, where she is rescued by Stephen, who has secretly returned to India. He persuades her to step forward as the IUF’s new Chief Ministerial candidate. Priya agrees, assumes leadership of the party, and enters active politics.
The next day, a large meeting is held at the party headquarters, PKR Bhavan. As Priya addresses the gathering, central investigation agencies, acting on orders from the Union Home Minister, arrive with a non-bailable warrant and arrest her on money laundering charges. Priya cooperates, and her arrest triggers widespread public support. Meanwhile, Jathin is kidnapped by Ab’raam’s mercenaries to pressure authorities until Priya is cleared.
In a flashback, it is revealed that after he lost his family, Zayed fell into the hands of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, a dangerous militant terrorist group of Pakistan, where they radicalized and brainwashed several innocent younger children into terrorism. At Khyber Pass, Pakistan, he was saved by Ab'raam, who took him under his wing and promised to help him seek revenge. Upon Priya's release, Stephen and Zayed orchestrate a showdown against Balraj and Munna at the site where Zayed's family was massacred, ultimately killing them and fulfilling Zayed's long-awaited revenge. Priyadarshini launches her political campaign. Khureshi Ab'raam gives Jathin an ultimatum: support Priya's rise to power or face death; Jathin reluctantly agrees to support Priya. Khureshi Ab'raam receives a call from Shenlong Shen, the powerful leader of world-famous Afro-Asian crime syndicate, Shen Triad, which was aligned with Kabuga. Shen kills Boris in revenge for Kabuga. As Ab'raam is still talking to Shen, a bomb detonates, exploding the helicopter escorting Jathin back home. In the post-credits scene, the Shen Triad's leader states his intention to investigate how Stephen became Khureshi-Ab’raam, delving into his past. The following scene then introduces a young Stephen in 1981 Bombay, hinting at an in-depth exploration of his origins as a crime lord.
Cast
Production
Development
No official announcement of a follow-up was made for Lucifer (2019), despite its open ending. The possibility of a continuation was confirmed by writer Murali Gopy in an interview in April 2019, shortly after the release of Lucifer. He clarified that "Lucifer is definitely designed as a franchise, and it is very evident from its structure and progression." The official announcement of a second film and its title took place during a press conference on 18 June 2019. Shedding light on the meaning of the title, Prithviraj Sukumaran said that "Empuraan" signifies "someone more than a king, but less than a god", with a more literal translation being "overlord". Murali revealed that Lucifer was conceived as a series right from its inception. The success of the first film gave them confidence to proceed with L2: Empuraan, said Prithviraj. Production was planned to commence in the second half of 2020.
In September 2019, Prithviraj further revealed that L2: Empuraan is part of a three-film series. The trilogy was originally envisioned as a three-season web series, the first season was transformed into the film Lucifer, while the second and third seasons were adapted for the subsequent instalments. Prithviraj clarified that L2: Empuraan does not continue the story of Lucifer but rather delves into the events that occurred before and after it, and that they have built "a franchise structure that visits every aspect of the story". Murali hinted that L2: Empuraan would unveil more layers of the narrative. Although it maintains continuity, the film was conceived as a standalone entry, not requiring viewers to have seen the first film.
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 led to the postponement of the production. In September 2020, Murali presented a comprehensive design brief of L2: Empuraan to Prithviraj, who stated that it assisted him in visualising an edited and colour-corrected version of the film. Pre-production, that was set to begin in 2021, was again delayed due to the pandemic. In the meantime, Prithviraj directed another film, Bro Daddy (2022), in the third quarter of 2021. In October 2021, Prithviraj disclosed that they were still waiting for the pandemic situation to subside, as they could not proceed with location scouting under that situation and expressed hope to start filming by mid-2022.
In 2022, Murali revealed plans to "scale up the magnitude and scope" of L2: Empuraan. He was in the process of writing the screenplay in May 2022, which he completed that month. In July, Prithviraj announced the completion of L2: Empuraan final script and informed lead actor Mohanlal and producer Antony Perumbavoor. The following month, the team officially announced through social media that they had entered the pre-production phase, "we are starting the actual process of making the film from today (17 August 2022)", Prithviraj described the film as a "commercial entertainer". In September 2023, the Tamil film production company Lyca Productions announced their involvement in the production of L2: Empuraan, marking their debut in Malayalam cinema, along with Aashirvad Cinemas, the producer of Lucifer. Additionally, Prithviraj's company Prithviraj Productions is credited for "project design". In March 2025, Sree Gokulam Movies joined the project as a co-producer, reportedly due to a financial dispute between Lyca Productions and Aashirvad Cinemas.
Casting
Mohanlal reprises his role of Khureshi Ab'raam/Stephen Nedumpally. During the film's announcement, it was revealed that Prithviraj's character Zayed Masood would have more prominence in L2: Empuraan. Prithviraj said that Zayed's role in Stephen's life is bigger than what was shown in Lucifer. Several actors from Lucifer return to reprise their roles—Tovino Thomas, Manju Warrier, Indrajith Sukumaran, Saikumar, Fazil, Baiju Santhosh, Saniya Iyappan, Sachin Khedekar, Shivaji Guruvayoor, Nandu, Nyla Usha, and Giju John, among others. Kalabhavan Shajohn, whose character Aloshy Joseph was killed off in Lucifer, made an unannounced appearance in the trailer. Following this, he personally confirmed his presence in the film.