L2: Empuraan director Prithviraj Sukumaran says Malayalam cinema is in an extraordinary phase

Actor-filmmaker Prithviraj Sukumaran, who is gearing up for the release of his action thriller L2: Empuraan, agrees that Malayalam cinema is currently in an 'extraordinarily good phase.' However, he believes that exceptional cinema is being created across the globe.

The actor shared his thoughts on Malayalam cinema's diverse range of genres, saying, “Yes, I agree that Malayalam cinema is going through a great phase. We’ve consistently been making fantastic films and exceptional content for many years, and I hope this phase never ends. I hope this phase lasts forever.”

When asked why other film industries aren't achieving the same level of success, Prithviraj respectfully disagreed.

"I don’t believe Malayalam is the only industry making great cinema. There is incredible cinema being made everywhere. I agree that Malayalam is in an extraordinarily good phase, but it’s happening everywhere."

He reflected on how, not too long ago, filmmakers were in awe of Hindi cinema's ability to lead the way.

“Not long ago, we were looking at Hindi cinema, thinking, how are they doing this? How are they coming up with such groundbreaking content? When Ram Gopal Varma came in and revolutionised mainstream filmmaking, we all thought, ‘Wow, Bollywood is really breaking new ground.’”

He recalled the impact of new-age filmmakers like Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane in Hindi cinema, saying, “I remember the conversations in Kerala when these filmmakers emerged: ‘Wow, how is Hindi cinema doing this?’"

“Now, the same thing is being said about Malayalam cinema, and I hope that conversation continues forever,” he added.

Prithviraj expressed his hope that every film industry, in time, would recognise and embrace its own unique strengths.

“There is great cinema being made everywhere, and I hope that every industry, sooner rather than later, identifies its own strengths and creates films in its own unique way.”

He emphasised how Malayalam cinema has never lost sight of the importance of writers, whom he considers the cornerstone of the industry.

“One thing I particularly admire about Malayalam cinema is that we’ve never forgotten that writers are the heart of cinema. Even when I watched documentaries about the '70s and '80s Bollywood, the biggest stars were Salim and Javed. There’s a lesson to be learned from that.”

L2: Empuraan, also known as L2E, is an action thriller starring Mohanlal. It is the second installment of a planned trilogy, following the 2019 film Lucifer. The movie is produced by Lyca Productions and Aashirvad Cinemas and is scheduled for release on March 27.

The film also stars Prithviraj, Indrajith Sukumaran, Tovino Thomas, Manju Warrier, Saniya Iyappan, Saikumar, Baiju Santhosh, Fazil, and Sachin Khedekar, all reprising their roles from the original.