L2: Empuraan, the directorial of Prithviraj Sukumaran and the current pride of the Malayalam film industry, has been unveiling its surprising factors every day. Among the cast, the child actor Kaarthikeyaa, who is playing the younger version of Prithviraj’s Zayed Masood, has caught the attention of the audience. Here is the interesting story behind casting Kaarthikeyaa in L2: Empuraan.
Kaarthikeyaa: The younger Zayed Masood
The upcoming sequel L2: Empuraan holds the mystery of various characters from the world of Lucifer. And one such mystery is the story behind Stephen’s hitman Zayed Masood, portrayed by Prithviraj Sukumaran.
From the first-look poster, the child actor, Karthikeyaa, who will be bringing life to the young version of Zayed Masood, has created a long-lasting impact in the minds of the audience. And the curiosity to know the past of the character begins there.
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From the sets of Salaar to the world of L2: Empuraan
Director Prithviraj shared an interesting story about casting Karthikeyaa. It all begins from the sets of Prithviraj’s 2023 released film Salaar: Part 1, where Karthikeyaa played the younger version of Prithviraj’s character, Varadaraja Mannar.
Prithviraj revealed that during Salaar shooting, director Prashanth shared a scene where the young Varadaraja Mannar dedicates his kingdom for his friend and that scene made him cast Karthikeyaa on L2: Empuraan. He said, “The moment I watched Kaarthikeyaa’s video, I knew I had to cast him in Empuraan.”
He further revealed that he immediately called Prashanth and told him, ‘Whatever you’re planning to do with this boy, do it fast because I am taking him.”
Karthikeyaa’s cinema debut
Karthikeyaa Dev hails from Hyderabad, Telangana. The actor is currently studying in class 12 in a school in Hyderabad. He started his acting career through a television commercial for the Kabaddi team Bangaluru Bulls. In 2021, he appeared in season 1 of the Telugu web series Parampara, which premiered on Disney+ Hotstar.
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As a breakthrough, in 2023, he made his debut in Telugu cinema in the film Music School, which was released in Tamil, Hindi and Telugu languages. In the same year, the actor secured a prominent role in the director Prashanth Neel’s blockbuster Salaar: Part 1.
Apart from L2: Empuraan, he also acted in the Telugu film Tuk Tuk, which released on March 21. Directed by Supreeth C. Krishna, Tuk Tuk stars Harsh Roshan, Saanve Meghana, Steven Madhu and Nihal Kodathy in the lead cast.
Kaarthikeyaa in Ajith’s ‘Good Bad Ugly’
The promising star is also making his Tamil debut in Ajith Kumar’s upcoming action entertainer Good Bad Ugly. The actor will play the role of Ajith’s son in the film. About his role, director Adhik Ravichandran revealed, “Salaar actor Karthikeya plays Ajith sir’s son in the film. And the father-son emotional bond will be one the key highlights of Good Bad Ugly.”
