Empuraan Movie Review | Vishal Menon | THR India

In his review for The Hollywood Reporter India, Vishal Menon analyzes Prithviraj Sukumaran’s Empuraan, the sequel to Lucifer, starring Mohanlal. While applauding the film’s ambition and technical grandeur—including helicopter sequences in the Senegalese desert and mocobot-aided fight scenes—Vishal critiques its shift from the tightly woven, character-driven narrative of Lucifer. He highlights how Empuraan trades the first film’s specificity for generic tropes, repeating iconic lines like “ente thantha alla ninte thantha” and recycling themes of familial betrayal. The sprawling plot hopscotches across global mafia conflicts and Interpol chases, diluting the emotional core that made Stephen Nedumpally (Mohanlal) a tragic, layered figure. Vishal notes that Kureshi Abraam’s portrayal as a “vigilante against drug trade and child trafficking” feels sanitized, lacking the moral ambiguity that defined his dual identity in Lucifer.

The film finds its footing in the second half when Stephen Nedumpally returns to Kerala, trading sleek jackets for a mundu. Vishal praises this segment for merging political intrigue with visceral action, evoking the grounded intensity of Lucifer. Scenes like a forest-set mocobot battle and Stephen’s reckoning with his past deliver the “goosebumps” fans crave. However, the review concludes that Empuraan struggles to balance its blockbuster scale with narrative cohesion, often feeling like a “big-ticket sequel” that prioritizes spectacle over soul. While Mohanlal shines in moments of emotional heft, the film’s overreliance on formulaic twists and underdeveloped antagonists leaves it trailing behind its predecessor’s legacy.