The takeaway – if there’s one – from Lucifer was that Stephen Nedumpally wasn’t who we all thought he was. As the curtains draw to a close in Prithviraj Sukumaran’s directorial debut, which rekindled Mohanlal’s mafia lord phase, Stephen, who also goes by the alias Khureshi Ab’raam, is revealed to be running the world while trying to strike a perfect pose in the middle of nowhere.

Suddenly, a part-Illuminati (in the loosest sense possible), part-nobleman nature of Stephen is unveiled, leaving the audience scratching their heads as they try to wrap their minds around the dialogue-heavy, action-packed flick with too many pawns left on the battlefield.

L2: Empuraan comes into that context. This time around, Lucifer’s playground is the entire world. But as is the fate of every hero, he has to return home. The film opens from a very unpredictable place. We are transported...