Starring: Mohanlal, Sachin Khedekar, Tovino Thomas, Manju Warrier, Abhimanyu Singh, Sukant GoelDirection: Prithviraj SukumaranPrithviraj Sukumaran’s 180-minute magnum opus not only sails on a national panorama but also fails to muster sufficient positive appraisal from the critics. You need a story like ‘Gone With The Wind’ or ‘Ben Hur’ to keep the viewer engaged for three hours. ‘Lucifer 2’ doesn’t. The film falters here and at many other places.Take the start of the story: A very contrived prologue of communal disharmony that runs all of 40 minutes. Not only is it gory, the need to show an advanced pregnant woman being raped requires institutional intervention in view of individual irresponsibility qua censorship. After a prolonged and tiring preface, telling the audience of communal hatred (do we need to get to a theatre to see that?), the filmmaker gets to ‘Lucifer 2’.The premise: Senior politician P.K. Ramadas (Sachin Khedekar) has left behind a young Chief Minister in Jatin Ramadas (Tovino Thomas) and, in the corridors, a suspected supporter in his daughter Priyadarshini (Manju Warrier). Expectedly, the political pot is boiling with various splinter groups characteristic of Kerala polity scheming and abetting any and every offence possible. CM Jatin makes a grandiose announcement that political rivalry is not from the without but is from within. He resigns and starts a new coalition with Baba Bajarang (Abhimanyu Singh) who in the prolonged preface hitherto mentioned is the prime perpetrator of the carnage with his younger brother Munna (Sukant Goel) in attendance.As with ‘Lucifer’, ‘Lucifer 2’ deals with drugs, international battles including new areas such as Senegal, Guinea, East Antilia, Qarakosh (Iraq).Various faces across races and colour are neck deep in the offence. Stephen Nedumpally (Mohanlal) is said to be sometimes with the cartel and sometimes against it, leaving Intelligence and the unintelligent guessing about his credibility. It is 45 minutes into the film that Stephen enters. Jeeps, grey helicopters, dusty sands announce the arrival of Stephen/KhureshiAb’raam as a leading part of KA Group drug cartel. There is Govardhan (Indarjeet Sukumaran), a journalist trying to decode Stephen from Medupalli in Kerala.Fight after fight, global unhygienic ‘Tom and Jerry’ fights lead to yet another violent purposeless finale.If you think that all is well that ends well, then the Bard is woefully out of fashion. You are forewarned in an extensive announcement of another instalment of ‘Lucifer’ to make a trilogy, this time getting China into the act. Even the traditional Mohanlal and Prithvi fans are going to be disappointed given the proportional screen space they have with the running time of ‘Lucifer 2’. In short, some fine shots, some familiar aerial views of God’s Own Country, and sleek photography remain as the USPs of ‘Lucifer 2’. Not enough for a Mohanlal-Prithvi film.Talent goes abegging. Actors like Suraj Venjaramoodu, Manju Warrier, Indarjeet Sukumaran, go to waste. Mohan Lal stamps his classic authority. A good actor must understand the nuances of a robust script, which is the fulcrum of a good film. Heroes before him have fallen, assuming that stardom over script works. At least on the national stage, ‘Lucifer 2’ rejects the assumption.Prithvi in a cameo is predictably good, but the cameo shows him more in the Ajay Devgn mode than in his own talented sphere. Those who have three hours to sit aghast on drug cartels, political ambitions and tasteless violence may invest in the easily available stocks. You walk out hoping ‘Lucifer 3’ will be a redemption.
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