The social media buzz around Empuraan, one of the biggest films in Malayalam cinema, continues to rise, with fresh updates about the movie making waves every day.
Recently, director and actor Prithviraj Sukumaran revealed some surprising facts about the movie’s budget and the pay structure of the star cast, including Mohanlal.
Despite the film’s whopping ₹100 crore budget, Prithviraj disclosed that 80% of it was spent on production costs, including technical aspects and making the film.
He clarified that not a single rupee was paid to the lead actors—Mohanlal and Prithviraj himself—as part of their remuneration for the film. The revelation came during an interview with Pink Villa.
In the interview, Prithviraj explained that although there were plans to bring in major international talent from Hollywood, Britain, and China, the exorbitant fees quoted by intermediaries and agents made it impossible to afford such talent within the film’s budget.
“I had a clear understanding of the maximum amount we could spend on the movie, and we stuck to that,” said the director.
Prithviraj further emphasised that the budget allocation was mainly directed toward the movie’s production quality.
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“We didn’t want to compromise on the making of Empuraan. We made sure every penny was spent wisely to enhance the visual and technical aspects of the film,” he added.
Both Mohanlal and Prithviraj confirmed in the interview that neither of them received any pay for their roles in the film.
They shared that the entire cast and crew, including foreign actors and technical experts, were motivated by the vision of the film and worked alongside the team without focusing on financial compensation.
Empuraan is set to release on 27th of March and has already grossed over ₹12 crore worldwide in advance bookings, excluding the regular bookings in the domestic market.
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The international pre-sales have been described as a “never-before-seen mass hysteria,” highlighting the immense excitement surrounding the film’s release.
The movie’s success could also potentially surpass Manjummel Boys, the highest Malayalam grosser at ₹241 crore, positioning Empuraan as a monumental achievement in Malayalam cinema.
Empuraan is the highly anticipated sequel to the 2019 blockbuster Lucifer, where Mohanlal, Manju Warrier, and Tovino Thomas delivered stellar performances.
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The sequel reunites Mohanlal with director Prithviraj Sukumaran for the third time. Produced by Aashirvad Cinemas and Sree Gokulam Movies, Empuraan will be released in multiple languages including Malayalam, Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, and Tamil.
Mohanlal returns as Khureshi Ab’raam, also known as Stephen Nedumpally, while Prithviraj reprises his role as Zayed Masood, Ab’raam’s hitman. Most of the characters from Lucifer make a comeback, alongside new additions from Bollywood and international cinema.
