00:00Lucifer gets re-made in Bollywood, who do you think can play the character of Mohanlal sir?
00:04Shah Rukh Khan sir.
00:05Favourite actor in Bollywood?
00:06Samitabh Bachchan sir.
00:07Okay.
00:08Lucifer released in 2019, what took you 6 years to come up with the sequel?
00:13Any update on the Dharma movie you were doing alongside Kajol sir?
00:18So I think in fact about 30-35% of the film is in Hindi.
00:22How do you take failures?
00:23Like I take my successes, I walk away from successes and I walk away from failures.
00:29And what's the one thing you imbibed as an actor from Lal sir?
00:32Many things, most of all how you should be with a director.
00:35What was the most challenging part for you as a director to direct a legend like Lal sir?
00:42So the legends are the ones who are the easiest to work with actually.
00:45Lucifer.
00:48This deal is with the devil.
00:50Hi, I am Ashwin and you are watching me on Filmybeat.
00:53Today I am sitting with superstar Prithviraj Sukumaran who is gearing up with his new film L2 Empuran.
00:59Prithviraj, welcome to Filmybeat.
01:01And firstly congratulations for the thunderous teaser that we saw.
01:07And at the venue also the grand launch in presence of Mammootty sir.
01:11How was the whole experience?
01:12This is really a very special evening for me.
01:16Firstly for the fact that the teaser has been so well received.
01:20Secondly that we were able to have all our friends from media across the country fly in and attend the event.
01:26And of course the icing on the cake being Mammootty sir being there present in person to launch the teaser.
01:31This is my third film as a director and to have this journey within a course of three films.
01:37And to have the privilege of being able to direct Mohanlal sir for all three of my directorials is all a blessing.
01:43I don't truly know if I deserve all this.
01:45I am just trying my best to live up to the opportunity that has been presented.
01:50And I hope all the anticipation that the teaser has set is met on the 27th of March when people see the film in theatres.
01:57Absolutely.
01:59Lucifer released in 2019. What took you six years to come up with the sequel?
02:03Did the pandemic affect the production and everything?
02:05Yes, Covid was the reason.
02:07This was supposed to be my second directorial actually.
02:09We were supposed to go on floors sometime beginning of 2020.
02:13That's when the pandemic happened and it just sort of completely derailed our plans.
02:20But in a way the five year wait, although this franchise was conceived in 2017,
02:30every time you make a film you need to review it to the current socio-political circumstances around you and all that.
02:36So with all those reviews coming in, I think this is now a better film than it was originally conceived.
02:42But having said that, it still stays very honest and true to the narrative progression that we had in mind from the beginning.
02:49Good thing being that I just think that the nature of this film and what has happened with cinema as an industry in general
02:57has a pleasant coincidence because this particular part of the franchise,
03:03the story happens to have a very national kind of a scape and also an international plotline running.
03:09In fact about 30-35% of the film is in Hindi.
03:13And that's because the characters and the terrain exist in that space.
03:19And I want to have that particular portion in all five versions in Hindi.
03:23So we were very keen that this time we should have this film released simultaneously in all five languages.
03:32Which we couldn't do with Lucifer.
03:35My second question was that Lucifer wasn't released in theatres in Hindi.
03:39So this time you guys are going the pan-India way.
03:41So was it your decision?
03:43Yes, it was.
03:45Because one, the business of cinema has evolved to a point over the last six years where now you can legitimately do that.
03:53Secondly, the quality of this particular film is such, when I say quality I mean the nature of this film is such
03:59that I think it will find resonance much more than the part one of the franchise with people around the country and around the world.
04:05And the greatest thing about the film I believe is that it perfectly works as a standalone film.
04:12So for people who have not seen part one, it is not like you are not going to understand what the film is.
04:17Yeah, for people who have seen part one, maybe a few dialogues and a few characters might hold more throwback value.
04:23But even without that I think the film works well.
04:25Lucifer was the first Malayalam film to cross the 200 crore mark.
04:31I don't know.
04:33The box office.
04:35It was a massive hit.
04:37It shattered a lot of records.
04:39More than being a hit, it went on to achieve a cult kind of a status with audiences and with so many of the scenes and dialogues being replayed and reels and all that.
04:49So I am really flattered.
04:52Do you feel pressure this time because the stakes are really high and the bar has been set?
04:56No, I understand there is pressure.
04:58I understand there is expectation.
05:00I know for a fact that pretty much everyone who has seen Lucifer 1 would have imagined their own version of Lucifer 2.
05:07But unfortunately I cannot let that dictate what I am making.
05:11I will have to stay true to my vision.
05:13I will have to stay true to the actual plot that we had originally in mind.
05:18Just because part 1 was a big hit, I cannot suddenly come and change part 2.
05:22And I can just hope that people like what they see.
05:26This has always been the part 2 that we wanted to make.
05:30With of course a few things being reviewed for the times that we live in.
05:34Other than that, the pressure exists outside of the film.
05:38Yesterday at the teaser launch event, Lal sir said that you are going to be the best director this country has ever produced.
05:46I am just really flattered and blessed for a legend like that to have such high expectations upon me.
05:55I don't know, I will just continue doing my craft and my work with all the commitment and diligence that I can muster.
06:05And I will continue learning cinema and I will continue hoping that I get the opportunity to work with legends like himself.
06:12And as a part of the statement that he made, what was the most challenging part for you as a director to direct a legend like Lal sir?
06:22You know the thing is, there are legends for a reason.
06:28And the reason is that they are immensely gifted and they are fantastically professional.
06:34So the legends are the ones who are the easiest to work with actually.
06:38Once you understand their process as an actor, they suddenly make a lot of sense to you.
06:45Because they are very consistent with their process, that's why they are doing it for so long.
06:49I have had the privilege of directing so many actors.
06:52One of the easiest actors I could direct is Lal sir.
06:56Because I understand the process now.
06:58He will come and he will ask you, what do you want me to do sir?
07:01And he expects you to give him a brief.
07:03And once you give him a brief, he then imbibes it and he does this really magical version that he has interpreted out of it.
07:09And we have this really nice synergy happening now over the three films.
07:13He is just very very easy to direct.
07:17I am not saying others are tough.
07:19But with him I think I have a relationship now.
07:21But this is the third film.
07:22So when you first directed him, was there any kind of hesitation when you wanted to change something in him while directing?
07:29Or he was very receptive of...
07:31When I did my first film, I was thinking I am going to direct one film in my life.
07:35So I was very clear about the fact that okay, this might be just that one film that I ever direct.
07:42So I am going to make sure, even if the film turns out good, bad or whatever.
07:46I am going to make sure that I am going to make the film that I have in my mind.
07:49Because I might get to do this only once.
07:51So whatever happens, whoever I have to piss off, I am going to go tell them this is what I want.
07:57And I am going to do the film that I have in mind.
08:00And that's what I did with Part 1.
08:02Even with Lal Sir, with whoever it is, I used to go and say no.
08:04This is not what I have in mind.
08:06What I want is this and I would like you to do that.
08:08But what has happened thankfully for me is that through the course of making my first film,
08:13I think the actors, the wonderful wonderful actors who worked with me,
08:17they realized and understood my process and they started trusting it.
08:22They started trusting, okay, this is how Prithvi would like us.
08:26That is how Prithvi makes films.
08:28And we trust his process.
08:30Once that trust forms, then it becomes very very easy.
08:34So now it's no longer a challenge.
08:36Now I can go up to anybody and I can say this is not what I want.
08:40And they can come and tell me, you know, we think we would be better off doing it this way.
08:44So we have that synergy happening and that's how a film should be made.
08:48That's the actual process. Cinema is always a team sport.
08:50And what's the one thing you imbibed as an actor from Lal Sir?
08:54Many things. Most of all, how you should be with the director.
08:57Because he is a standing lesson for me on how I should be with my directors.
09:03Every time I feel irritated on a set when I'm acting,
09:07every time I feel like I want to tell someone off,
09:09I can easily draw a reference over the course of three films where,
09:14okay, this is very similar but you remember how he dealt with it.
09:19It's been more than two decades for you in this industry.
09:22You've been an actor, now a director.
09:25Very soon, the best director like Lal Sir said in India.
09:29What was more challenging, being an actor or being a director?
09:32Direction is more challenging.
09:34Direction is more challenging because it just involves a lot more work.
09:37A lot, constant decision making.
09:39And any given day there are about 200-300 people on set waiting for your instructions.
09:45Money is being spent on decisions that you make.
09:49And you're constantly involved with that process that is going on non-stop.
09:53Direction is more challenging.
09:55That's not to say that acting is not challenging at all.
09:58And me now being a director, it will sound a little immodest me saying it,
10:03but actors are limited by their directors.
10:07A great performance can be shot badly and it will come across as a mediocre performance.
10:13A mediocre performance can be shot flatteringly and it could just pass the test.
10:18I'm getting a queue to wrap up, so I'll just ask two questions.
10:22So success and failures go hand in hand.
10:24Last year you did Bade Miya, Chhote Miya, which did perform well at T-box.
10:27How do you take failures?
10:29Like I take my success.
10:31I'm detached with it.
10:33I walk away from successes and I walk away from failures.
10:38Whatever happens on 27th of March, 28th of March, I still have to live my life.
10:43So I keep saying this.
10:45Sometimes my wife asks me,
10:47why don't you celebrate your successes more?
10:51Maybe because I enjoy the process more than the result.
10:57The most gratifying thing for me was not that the goat life was a smash hit.
11:02The most gratifying thing for me was that I could do it the way it deserved to be done.
11:08Same thing with this film.
11:10I'm really thankful that I was able to do the film the way it got done eventually.
11:14The result is then secondary.
11:18My producers making money and the investment coming back would be great.
11:21And the success of this film paving way for us being able to do part 3 of the franchise would be wonderful.
11:27But other than that, it's not much.
11:30A lot of South cinemas are being remade in Bollywood.
11:33So if Lucifer gets remade in Bollywood, who do you think can play the character of Mohanlal sir?
11:38Shah Rukh Khan sir.
11:40And that would be safe to say he's your favourite actor in Bollywood?
11:43My favourite actor in Bollywood is Amitabh Bachchan sir.
11:47Lastly, any update on the Dharma movie you were doing alongside Kajol sir?
11:56Till the makers make an official statement or an announcement,
11:59it's better for me to not talk about it.
12:02There's a saying in Hindi, yeh toh trailer hai, picture abhi baaki hai.
12:06After seeing the teaser, we all are waiting for the movie that is releasing on 27th of March.
12:13Wishing you all the best sir.
12:14Thank you so much.
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