'Lucifer' to 'L2: Empuraan': The Impressive Directorial Arc Of Prithviraj Sukumaran (Image-Instagram/therealprithvi)

Director Prithviraj has pulled off a mesmerizing franchise with Lucifer and the soon-to-be-released L2: Empuraan. As director, he has already proved his excellence in the craft with the prequel, Lucifer. Naturally, the expectations for the upcoming sequel are off limits, and the trailer has offered an assurance to the fans to expect a power-packed experience.

With every update, the curiosity to understand Prithviraj more as a director has been rising. And here we are. Let’s explore the directorial arc of Prithviraj from Lucifer to L2: Empuraan.

The Passionate Journey of Prithviraj As Director 

Prithviraj made his directorial debut in 2019 with the blockbuster Lucifer starring Mohanlal, Tovino Thomas, and Manju Warrier in the lead roles. Even though the actor claims himself as an accidental director, his meticulously executed Lucifer stands as a testimony to his immense knowledge on the directorial spectrum.

Prithviraj’s passion for direction had been burning within him for more than 20 years, which got its life through this political thriller. His extensive observation and exploration throughout his cinematic journey, however, chiseled him to be a fine director. The curiosity of the actor to learn more about filmmaking beyond just acting has shaped him to be a director capable of pulling off a legendary film.

Read Also: Empuraan’s Shadowy Figure: Who Is The Mysterious Villain

Substantiating the fact, director Radha Mohan, the mastermind behind the musical romantic comedy Mozhi, recently shared that Prithviraj had been keenly involved in learning and understanding the technical aspects of the filmmaking. The director also shared that Prithviraj had impressive knowledge about camera handling and equipment since then.

The Directorial Structure of Prithviraj

Unlike the usual films, the franchise of Lucifer has a different story in terms of its execution. As director, Prithviraj followed his style of filmmaking, which did not have any reference clips or storyboards or some other usual elements that comprise a directorial process.

Explaining his style of filmmaking, the actor revealed that his understanding of the exact number of shots or execution didn’t come from the storyboard but from a keen understanding of the script.

“If you closely follow the text, the text will show you how to shoot,” he said.

Understanding the layers of comprehension of the written text had led him to meticulously bring the words to life.

The Masterclass of Prithviraj on how Empuraan got its Shape

Having said that, director Prithvi also revealed that after he got the script from writer Murali Gopy, he wrote his own script (which he called a shoot script) for about 6 months. At the end of writing his shoot script, he gave a narration to the writer, expressing his understanding of the script.

After the process of discussing his version of the narration with the writer, he locked his script and approached the actors and other members of the film.

Read Also: ‘Lucifer’: 6 Things You Might Not Know About The Mohanlal-Prithviraj’s Prequel

He also added that this process of comprehending the layers of the script offered him a very clear idea of what he will be portraying on the screens. He also revealed that the film was shot for 3 hours and 1 minute and the final output was finalized at 3 hours.

Different Narrations for Each Team

Another interesting factor about making Lucifer and Empuraan is that the director, Prithviraj, followed different narratives for different teams of the film, like the cinematography, the music, the designers, the editors and others, to prioritize different elements of the film. And that’s how, even without using any reference materials, Prithviraj victoriously delivered a well-nourished film.

Prithviraj: Through the Lens of a Director

Being an actor turned director, Prithviraj offered space for his actors to interpret their characters and to deliver it in their own style. He said that the writing, the setting and other things associated with setting up a scene might belong to the director, but what comes to the screen is up to the actor’s interpretation.

Describing actor Mohanlal’s performance on this notion, he revealed that the Lucifer star has the potential to bring out multiple versions of the same context in acting. Whereas Vivek Oberoi could deliver the same “pinpoint” performance multiple times. And this factor about working with different actors amazed Prithviraj as a director.

Watch the trailer here: