L2: Empuraan

L2: Empuraan (transl. Overlord; stylised as L2: E.M.P.U.R.A.A.N – Lucifer 2) is a 2025 Indian Malayalam-language action thriller film directed by Prithviraj Sukumaran and written by Murali Gopy. It is jointly produced by Antony Perumbavoor, Subaskaran Allirajah and Gokulam Gopalan through Aashirvad Cinemas, Lyca Productions and Sree Gokulam Movies. It is a sequel to the 2019 film Lucifer and the second instalment in the Lucifer Franchise. The film stars Mohanlal, with an ensemble cast consisting of Prithviraj, Abhimanyu Singh, Tovino Thomas, Manju Warrier, Andrea Tivadar, Jerome Flynn, Indrajith Sukumaran, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Kishore and Eriq Ebouaney in supporting roles while Rick Yune and Pranav Mohanlal appear in cameo apperances. Presenting a fictional storyline centered around the 2002 Gujarat riots, in the film, Stephen Nedumpally, a former political heir living in exile, returns to India to settle old scores as his past with a violent nexus and a buried identity begins to resurface.
Lucifer was conceived as a three-film franchise from its inception. The success of the first film led to the decision to proceed with the second instalment in the series. L2: Empuraan 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 L2: Empuraan. Although it maintains continuity, the film was conceived as a standalone entry, not requiring viewers to have seen the first film. The screenplay was finalised in July 2022, and pre-production began the following month. Lyca joined in September 2023, marking their venture in Malayalam cinema. In March 2025, Gopalan joined as a co-producer, following financial disputes with Lyca. The film's original soundtrack was composed by Deepak Dev.
Principal photography took place from October 2023 to December 2024, spanning 145 days across sporadic schedules in India, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates. L2: Empuraan was released in theatres worldwide on 27 March 2025 in standard, IMAX, and EPIQ formats, making it the first Malayalam film to be released in IMAX and EPIQ. Despite controversies upon the film's release, it received positive reviews from critics, and emerged as the highest-grossing Malayalam film of all time, and the second highest-grossing Indian film of 2025. Produced on a budget of ₹180 crore, it is the most expensive Malayalam film to date.
In 2002, communal riots break out in Gujarat between Muslim and Hindu extremists. In the midst of the violence, a young Zayed Masood and his family flee their home, seeking refuge with Subhadra Ben, a local political activist and the head of a large royal family. She shelters them but is betrayed by her nephew, Munna, who informs extremist leader Balraj Patel of their presence. Balraj leads a violent mob to massacre them. Zayed’s father hides him and his younger brother, Zaheer, in a small compartment before being brutally killed. Subhadra Ben gets killed by Balraj for betraying her community. Though Zayed escapes, he later discovers that Zaheer was killed. Traumatized and alone, he is captured by an extremist group that radicalizes children for terrorism. However, he is saved en route to Afghanistan by Khureshi Ab'raam, the leader of a powerful nexus, who takes him under his wing and vows to help him seek revenge.
In the present day, six years into his tenure as the Chief Minister of Kerala, Jathin Ramdas find himself under investigation by several intelligence agencies for his involvement in money laundering and financial scams. Members of his ruling party, the Indian Union Front (IUF), become increasingly concerned about the state's political future. Amidst the turmoil, a new opposition party, Akhanda Shakthi Morcha (ASM), gains prominence in North India, and begins expanding its influence into Kerala.
In an unexpected move, Jathin announces in a rally his resignation from the IUF, to form a new faction, IUF (PKR), named after his late father, former Chief Minister P. K. Ramdas. He also reveals the party's alliance with the Akhanda Shakthi Morcha, whose national leader is Balraj, now operating under the alias, Baba Bajrangi. Seizing the opportunity to exploit Kerala's political landscape, Bajrangi plans to amass his wealth under the guise of public service. Meanwhile, Govardhan has been gathering information on P. K Ramdas' adopted son, Stephen Nedumpally, who has remained absent from politics since Jathin took office.
In the United Kingdom, MI6 officer Boris Oliver, has been pursuing the Khureshi-Ab'raam nexus. Simultaneously, Interpol agent, Robert McCarthy has been covertly conspiring with Kabuga, an African crime-lord, to traffic drugs from Senegal to Guinea, with the assistance of Sergei Leonov, a former associate of Ab'raam, now working for Kabuga. Their plan, however, is thwarted by Khureshi Ab'raam who opposes drug trafficking. After eliminating both McCarthy and Leonov, Ab'raam arranges a meeting with Kabuga in Iraq. Boris Oliver assigns his colleague, MI6 agent Michele Menuhin, to track Ab'raam, who uncovers details about his planned meeting. Unbeknownst to her, Boris is secretly affliliated with the Khureshi-Ab'raam nexus and leaks the information to Ab'raam.
In India, Govardhan's search leads him to Daniel Rawuther, a friend of Stephen, and was last in contact with after the death of Bobby gesturing to Stephen at the table, and has not heard back since. Daniel drugs and smuggles Govardhan to New York City. There, he finally meets Stephen, who has been living under his alternate identity – Khureshi Ab'raam. He assures Govardhan that he will eventually return to India once he completes his mission. Afterwards, he travels to Iraq to meet with Kabuga, where he eliminates the Kabuga syndicate, with Zayed's help. To deceive his enemies, he fakes his death, a story later reported by the news channel, NPTV, in Kerala. Believed to be dead, Kerala's political landscape falls into uncertainty.
Priyadarshini, Jathin's elder sister, protests against the construction of a controversial check dam in Nedumpally. During a protest, she is attacked by unidentified assailants, but manages to escape into a forest. There, she is rescued by Stephen, who has returned to India. He convinces her to step forward as the IUF's new Chief Ministerial candidate. On the other hand, Jathin meets with Balraj and Munna, but is kidnapped by Stephen, who holds him hostage until Priya is cleared of false money laundering charges – charges that were actually linked to Jathin's past crimes as the IUF's president. Once Priya is released, Stephen and Zayed orchestrate a final showdown against Balraj and Munna at the site where Zayed's family was massacred, ultimately killing the both of them, and fullfiling Zayed's long-awaited revenge.
With Balraj and Munna dead, Priya officially launches her political campaign. Meanwhile, Stephen gives Jathin an ultimatum – either support Priya's rise to power or face death. Jathin reluctantly agrees; however moments after boarding a helicopter, a bomb explodes killing him instantly. Stephen receives a call from the leader of the Shen triad, a powerful Afro-Chinese crime syndicate, that was aligned with Kabuga, who captures and kills Boris.
In the post credits scene, the leader of the Shen triad, expresses interest in meeting Ab'raam, hinting towards an impending conflict. Seeking to uncover Stephen's past, he begins investigating how Stephen became Khureshi Ab'raam, leading to a trail revealing a much younger Stephen in 1981 Bombay.
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 who is 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 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 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 Empuraan's 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)", wrote Prithviraj. Murali categorised L2: Empuraan as a second instalment rather than a sequel. 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.
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 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, Nandhu, 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.
In a December 2023 interview, Abhimanyu Singh confirmed his role as the antagonist opposite Mohanlal. Describing his character, Singh stated, "Balraj is a really complex character. He is not just one thing. There are many layers to him." Suraj Venjaramoodu portrays politician Sajanachandran. He revealed that he personally expressed his desire to be cast in the film while working with Prithviraj on the sets of Driving Licence. Karthikeya Dev, who portrayed the younger version of Prithviraj's character in Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire, was similarly cast as the younger Masood (Prithviraj). Nikhat Khan appears as Subhadra Ben, a regal woman who owns a haveli. Prithviraj revealed that at the time of casting, he was unaware she was Aamir Khan's sister and selected her based solely on her audition. Sukant Goel plays Munna, an accomplice to Balraj in his crimes and political career.
British-Romanian actress Andrea Tivadar joined the cast as Michele Menuhin, an SAS operative working for MI6 and tasked with pursuing Ab'raam. British actor Jerome Flynn was cast as Boris Oliver, a significant figure in Ab'raam's journey. French actor Eriq Ebouaney plays Kabuga, a character with negative shades. Prithviraj revealed that several foreign actors they had initially considered were unable to sign due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, "we were in limbo for a while and kept waiting, but the strike just would not end and we had to move on". As a result, the team restarted the casting process with non-SAG-AFTRA actors.
There were speculations about American actor Rick Yune's involvement, but his casting remained undisclosed until the film's release. Yune portrays Shenlong Shen, the leader of the Shen Triad, a rival syndicate to Ab'raam's Indo-Arab nexus. Similarly, Pranav Mohanlal's role was kept under wraps, only revealed through a flashback scene in which he plays a young Stephen. The other new additions include Manikuttan, Kishore, Satyajit Sharma, Oziel Jivani, Aishwarya Ojha, Nayan Bhatt, Shubhangi Latkar, and Behzaad Khan.
Following a six-month-long location scouting process in India, which concluded in February 2023, the film crew embarked on a recce across several international locations. Principal photography was originally scheduled to commence on 15 August, however, it was postponed after Prithviraj sustained an injury on the sets of Vilayath Buddha. Production eventually began with a customary muhurtam shot on 5 October in Faridabad on the outskirts of Delhi and Haryana. It primarily featured foreign actors and extras. Filming was moved to Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, following a day of shooting in Faridabad. Filming also took place in Leh, Ladakh. The first schedule was completed in Ladakh on 28 October.
The crew began location scouting in the United Kingdom in November 2023. The location scouting process for the entire film spanned 18 months. The second schedule started in the UK in January 2024 and concluded later that month. In late February, filming shifted to the United States, covering various locations including New York, New Mexico, Louisiana, San Francisco, and Atlanta. This schedule featured the principal cast members, Mohanlal, Tovino, Prithviraj, and Indrajith, and continued until the second week of March. By this time, approximately 20 percent of the film had been completed. The subsequent phase of production began in April on specially constructed sets in Chennai, concluding within the same month. This phase involved Mohanlal, Tovino, Warrier, and Saniya.
By May, the production had moved to Thiruvananthapuram, where scenes were filmed at two schools with the participation of 2,000 extras, along with cast members Warrier, Suraj, Saikumar, Baiju, and Nandhu. In June, the crew filmed in Kochi, before relocating to Gujarat by mid-June for the longest schedule of the production. The Gujarat schedule included scenes depicting Zayed's younger years, with Mohanlal joining the shoot. Filming took place at a palace and on custom-built sets, covering both past and present timelines. However, heavy downpour caused delays. Production resumed in Rajkot during the fourth week of September. The team shifted to Hyderabad in October for a brief schedule, reportedly at Ramoji Film City.
Later in October, the production team returned to Thiruvananthapuram. Filming was held at Kanakakkunnu Palace, The Leela Kovalam, Adimalathura Beach, and Pallippuram. This phase concluded within the same month. Additional scenes were shot in places such as Thammanam, Kuttikkanam, and Vandiperiyar during October. In November, the production moved to the United Arab Emirates and Mumbai before returning to Kerala to film in Ernakulam, Chalakudy, and Palakkad. Filming was wrapped on 1 December 2024, on the banks of the Malampuzha Reservoir, marking the conclusion of 14 months of production. Empuraan was completed in 145 days, which was 28 days shorter than the originally planned schedule.
Empuraan was filmed using the anamorphic format with a 2.8:1 aspect ratio, ensuring visual consistency with the first film. Prithviraj confirmed the third installment will follow the same approach. He mostly utilised practical effects for the action sequences. The fight sequences were choreographed by Stunt Silva. Sujith Vaassudev and Mohandas were retained as the cinematographer and art director, respectively. Nirmal Sahadev served as the film's creative director. Suresh Balaje and George Pius of Wide Angle Creations served as the film's line producers.
The film's original soundtrack was composed by Deepak Dev, who also composed the soundtrack for Lucifer. Prithviraj wrote the lyrics of an English song in the soundtrack. The first single, "Phir Zinda" was released on 25 March 2025. The second single, "Kaavalaai Chekavar" was released on 29 March 2025. The third single titled "Azrael" was released on 3 April 2025.
Within a week of wrapping production, the team confirmed that the first cut was finished and that post-production was progressing at a brisk pace. The release date was announced on Kerala Piravi with a poster featuring a mysterious figure dressed in white and adorned with a red Dragon, which sparked widespread discussion among fans regarding the identity and background of the character. Birthday posters were released for Mohanlal as Khureshi Abraam, Prithviraj as Zayed Masood and Indrajith as Govardhan, the latter two characters reportedly having more prominent screen presence with regards to the first instalment. The film's teaser was released on 26 January 2025 in Kochi, coinciding with the Indian Republic Day.
Similarly to Lucifer, an 18-day character reveal campaign revealing the 36 principal cast members was launched as part of the film's promotional strategy. The campaign began on 9 February 2025 and concluded on 28 February 2025. The film's trailer was released on 20 March 2025.
The marketing for this movie reportedly used shock marketing by incorporating provocative themes like the 2002 Gujarat riots and the Mullaperiyar dam dispute. This sparked controversy, boosting its ₹70 crore first-week earnings. While some called it a publicity stunt, others credited its success to audience resonance. The buzz amplified visibility, drawing crowds and showcasing shock marketing’s impact.
In November 2022, while the film was in pre-production, Prithviraj stated that they have not decided on a release date for the film. Beside its original release in Malayalam, the film would be released in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi languages. The film is also marketed with the short title L2E by the makers and was theatrically released on 27 March 2025, coinciding the sixth year anniversary of Lucifer. It is also the first Malayalam film to be released in IMAX and EPIQ formats.
AA Films acquired the distribution rights for North India. Dil Raju acquired the distribution rights for Andhra Pradesh and Telangana under his banner Sri Venkateswara Creations. Hombale Films acquired the distribution rights for Karnataka. Sree Gokulam Movies will distribute the film in Tamil Nadu through its own distribution network.
The overseas rights for the film, excluding the GCC and US, were acquired by Cyber Systems Australia. Phars Film distributed the film in the GCC regions. Aashirvad Hollywood and Prime Media acquired the distribution rights in the USA. RFT Entertainment acquired the distribution rights in the UK and Europe.
Pre sales began with overseas from 18 March 2025. In Australia, the film generated pre-sales of more than $100,000 for its opening day, surpassing The Goat Life having $69,590 on day 1. In Germany, the film generated €50,000 on its opening day, as no Malayalam film has opened to above €10,000 with the highest opener previously held by The Goat Life which had an opening weekend of €45,000. In India, pre-sales began from 21 March 2025. The film registered the highest hourly pre-sales ever recorded in Indian cinema, with 96,140 tickets sold per hour on BookMyShow. As of 2 PM on 21 March 2025, the film had sold 3,10,000 tickets on BookMyShow across all Indian theatres; the highest for a Malayalam film surpassing The Goat Life which had sold 3,09,000 tickets in advance bookings. In Canada, the film made $500,000 in advance bookings by 23 March 2025.
The film will be screening in Ragam Theatre in Thrissur for a 24-hour continuous run from 27 March from 6 AM to 31 March to 4 AM. As of 10 PM on Sunday 24 March 2025, the film's weekend worldwide advance sales surpassed ₹53 crore. In Germany, its four-day weekend advance booking exceeded €251,000 surpassing Pushpa 2. In Australia, the film made pre-sales of more than $601,000 by 24 March 2025. By 26 March 2025 with over 1.1 million tickets sold on BookMyShow, it is among India's highest pre-release ticket sales films. With 11.29 lakh pre-sales, it surpassed other major releases such as Jawan, Salaar and Animal . The film headed for its release with its final pre-sales closing at ₹85 crore worldwide for the opening weekend (27 – 30 March) with ₹36 crore coming from India, USD 5.65 million (₹49 crore) from overseas. For the opening day the film grossed over ₹52.50 crore advances worldwide. In Kerala the film grossed over ₹12.40 crore in advance for the opening day, surpassing Leo that earlier attained the top spot at the Kerala opening day box office.
S. R. Praveen of The Hindu wrote that "Mohanlal, rich production design fail to save this sequel". Anna Mathews of Times of India gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote that "L2: Empuraan doesn't quite match the punch of Lucifer". Ganesh Aaglave of Firstpost gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "Mohanlal & Prithviraj Sukumaran starrer action-thriller is high on swag, charisma & technical brilliance". Pooja Pillai of Eastern Eye wrote that "Despite its storytelling flaws, the film remains a grand theatrical spectacle best experienced on the big screen with all its cinematic flair." Sanjith Sidhardhan of OTTplay gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "Prithviraj Sukumaran elevates the stakes with an ambitious but less nuanced follow-up to Lucifer". Sajin Shrijith of the The Week rated 3/5 and wrote, "The second chapter of 'Lucifer' is too pre-occupied with eyeball-catching visualisation than storytelling prowess, and suffers a little as a result."
Goutham S of Pinkvilla gave 4/5 stars and wrote "Mohanlal starrer acts as mirror to socio-political narrative with string of new foes lining up to vanquish Khureshi". BVS Prakash of Deccan Chronicle gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote that "L2: Empuraan struggles to match the impact of its predecessor but remains an intriguing watch for fans of Lucifer". Janani K of India Today gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Director Prithviraj Sukumaran's L2: Empuraan is a fitting sequel to Lucifer. Mounted on a grand scale, the film displays convenient writing but makes up with stunning visuals." Anandu Suresh of The Indian Express gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Prithviraj Sukumaran's Mohanlal-starrer is certainly not another run-of-the-mill pan-Indian film that exists solely to scream "look what our star can do!". Kirubhankar Purushothaman of News18 gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "Prithviraj Effectively Scales Up Mohanlal's Lucifer To Greater Heights".
Rohit Panikker of Times Now gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "L2: Empuraan is a befitting addition to the Lucifer universe, and entertains you through and through despite its extra run-time and extensive world-building." Bollywood Hungama gave 3/5 stars and wrote "L2: Empuraan boasts mass appeal, grandeur, and stellar performances." Arjun Menon of Rediff gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "L2: Empuraan is an ambitious sequel that is bigger, bolder and timid in equal measure". Pratyusha Sista of Telangana Today wrote "L2: Empuraan is a gripping political thriller that delivers on all fronts—story, action, and performances. It's a well-connected sequel that avoids unnecessary drama, keeping audiences hooked for the entire 180-minute runtime. Whether you're a Lucifer fan or a newcomer, this film is a must-watch in theatres for its larger-than-life experience".
On its opening day, the film grossed ₹65 crore, which was the highest opening day gross for a Malayalam film. The film continued to gross ₹34 crore on its second day, hence crossing the ₹100 crore mark in 2 days. Empuraan moved on towards its first weekend grossing ₹35 crore on Saturday and ₹38 crore on Sunday to a worldwide gross of ₹174 crore (4 days). In its first five days, the film grossed ₹53.05 crore in Kerala. It surpassed ₹200 crore within the same period. According to News18, the film reached ₹250 crore worldwide in six days. On its 8th day, the film crossed 70 crore gross at the Kerala box office. Business Today reported that by its ninth day, the film had crossed the ₹250 crore mark, including ₹90.78 crore net from domestic markets and ₹133 crore from international markets.
The film has grossed a worldwide theatre share of 100 crore in eight days, marking the highest-ever for any Malayalam film.
The movie's controversies have boosted its box office performance, with eager fans flocking to theatres to watch the original version before the re-edited one starts to premiere.
L2: Empuraan delves into themes of power, identity, and vengeance, interweaving Kerala’s political turbulence with elements of global crime. The film follows Khureshi Ab’raam (Mohanlal) as he navigates a dual persona, while Zayed Masood (Prithviraj Sukumaran) embarks on a quest for retribution connected to the fictionalized 2002 Gujarat riots. Its socio-political commentary—featuring a Hindutva-inspired antagonist and depictions of communal violence—has sparked controversy, resulting in scene cuts due to backlash from right-wing groups. Nevertheless, some critics have praised the film for its bold stance against communalism. While critics recognized the film’s technical prowess and Mohanlal's compelling performance, they noted that the writing lacked consistency, with the "L" motif's symbolism seen as overly heavy-handed. As a midpoint in the trilogy, L2: Empuraan presents a divisive mix of spectacle and depth.
Shortly after its theatrical release on March 27, 2025, a pirated copy of Empuraan began circulating on notorious websites and Telegram groups, prompting swift action from the film's team. The Kerala Film Producers' Association intensified its anti-piracy efforts in response to the leak of high-definition (HD) prints of the film. In a press release, the association announced the appointment of ethical hackers to monitor and track piracy activities using advanced digital tracking tools, with a focus on identifying individuals downloading pirated versions. The association also urged the government to establish a special team to enforce copyright laws and address the growing issue of illegal distribution of theatrical and HD prints of new releases. Antony Perumbavoor, the film's producer, filed a complaint with the Kerala cyber police, which subsequently launched an investigation into the unauthorized online distribution. Filmmakers highlighted piracy as a significant concern, particularly for pan-Indian and global releases like Empuraan.
In a related development, on April 2, 2025, Kerala police sealed an internet cafe in Pappinisseri, Kannur, after discovering it was involved in downloading and distributing a pirated version of the movie. The operation followed a tip-off received by the social media monitoring cell of Kannur City Police, leading to a joint investigation by local police and the cyber cell that uncovered the pirated file. The café was shut down, and authorities indicated that a case would be registered, though no arrests were reported at the time.
As announced by the team, Lucifer is a trilogy, implying the existence of a third film as a continuation of the series. During a September 2019 event, Prithviraj mentioned that the third film will explore a much darker theme in the series. In January 2025, while talking about the cinematographic techniques used in L2: Empuraan, Prithviraj confirmed that the same would be used in the third film as well.
In the post-credits scene, the third installment in the trilogy, L3: The Beginning, was announced. The title of the film is believed to be AZRAEL as suggested by the end credits song.The film's story would revolve around the conflict between Khureshi Abr'aam and the leader of the Shen triad group, played by Rick Yune.
Following its release, the film was met with immediate criticism from right-wing political groups like Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), who objected towards the name of the villain as well as the portrayal of a Hindutva leaders, as the antagonist. One of the antagonistic characters in the movie is named "Baba Bajrangi", which some viewers have interpreted as an allusion to Bajrang Dal leader Babu Bajrangi, a convicted figure involved in the 2002 Gujarat riots who was sentenced to life imprisonment for masterminding the Naroda Patiya massacre. Mohanlal, who holds the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Indian Army, has faced criticism for acting in the film, with people calling for his rank to be revoked. The film was criticized by RSS mouthpiece Organizer as using the 2002 Gujarat riots to push an "anti-Hindu political agenda."
Tamil Nadu Rajya Sabha MP Vaiko demands a ban on the film or removal of scenes about the Mullaperiyar Dam, citing safety and misrepresentation concerns. The film portrays the dam as "Nedumpally dam" and shows it at risk of collapsing. Former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam also criticized the film, arguing it could harm relations between Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
On April 4, the Tamil Nadu Assembly debated the film's controversy. Water Resources Minister Durai Murugan expressed concerns about a scene, despite not having seen the movie. Chief Minister of Tamilnadu, M K Stalin noted that the film had passed censorship without objections, with protests emerging only after its release.
On April 4, 2025, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided Gokulam Gopalan’s offices in Chennai and Kochi, a producer of L2: Empuraan, over alleged Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) violations. The raids, amid the film’s existing controversies over its depiction of the 2002 Gujarat riots and right-wing politics, fueled speculation of a link to its content. However, ED officials clarified that the raid concerns FEMA violations, not the film controversy. This added further complexity to the ongoing debates and protests surrounding the movie. The current raids are part of investigation into the suspected money laundering through exaggerated collection reports of films produced and distributed by his firm, Sree Gokulam Movies.
As part of an investigation into alleged financial irregularities, the ED seized ₹1.5 crore in cash and incriminating documents during searches at 10 locations across Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The investigation intensified following the seizures.
Followed by the controversy, the Income Tax Department issued a notice to actor and filmmaker Prithviraj Sukumaran regarding discrepancies in the payment details of films co-produced by him. The notice seeks clarification on certain aspects of his income declarations related to these productions.
ED has also issued a fresh notice to Malayalam film producer Antony Perumbavoor of Aashirvad Cinemas banner, seeking detailed clarification regarding financial transactions linked to Lucifer Franchise and Marakkar: Lion of the Arabian Sea. The notice specifically addresses overseas distribution rights and an alleged payment made to actor Mohanlal in Dubai.
Due to the controversies surrounding the film, the makers announced over 17 voluntary changes in the film including edits to riots sequences, portrayal of violence against women, the antagonist's name as well as muting of some of the dialogues. Subsequently, three minute of visuals were said to be removed for exhibitions with effect from 31 March. Confirming the changes to film, Mohanlal expressed 'regret' for the political and social themes in the film and said that it is his duty as an artist to ensure that none of his films harbor hatred towards any political movement, ideology, or religious sect.
However two days later, 24 cuts amounting to 2 minutes and 8 seconds of visuals were certified by the CBFC, with changes made to various scenes, character names, and visuals.
In the re-censored version of the film was re-released on April 2, significant changes were made to address sensitive content. One of the major alterations involved the character of Balraj, alias Baba Bajrangi, the antagonist who leads a mob. This character, originally resembling Bajrang Dal leader Babu Bajrangi—who was sentenced to life imprisonment for his involvement in the 2002 Gujarat pogrom—has been renamed Baldev. Additionally, the display card that originally stated "India 2002" has been changed to "a few years ago" to avoid direct reference to the 2002 riots. Several graphic visuals, including those of vehicles passing in front of a religious structure, violence against women, and dead bodies during riot scenes, have been removed. A conversation between a young Zayed Masood (played by director Prithviraj Sukumaran) and his father during the riots was also cut.
Further cuts were made to remove references to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), particularly in scenes where the agency was shown as being misused by the ruling party to target political opponents. Audio mutes were employed to eliminate any mention of the NIA. The "Special Thanks" section of the film credits also saw some changes, with the names of actor and Union Minister of State for Petroleum Suresh Gopi and IRS officer Jyothis Mohan being removed.
While the re-edited version is intended for screening in India, the uncut version of the film will continue to be shown internationally. However, the OTT release via Netflix will incorporate the same cuts made for the domestic version.