Chennai: Actor Saikumar, who portrays Mahesha Varma in the Mohanlal-starrer L2: Empuraan (L2E), has revealed that he initially declined the role in Lucifer due to mobility issues. However, director Prithviraj Sukumaran accommodated his condition by adjusting the character’s mannerisms and body language, allowing him to take on the role.

On Tuesday evening, Malayalam superstar Mohanlal officially introduced Saikumar’s character in the highly anticipated political action drama L2: Empuraan (L2E), directed by Prithviraj.

Taking to his X timeline, Mohanlal wrote, “Character No17 SaiKumar as Mahesha Varma in #L2E #EMPURAAN.” He also shared a link to a YouTube video in which Sai Kumar spoke about his character in the film.

In the clip, Saikumar said, “I hope you will embrace Mahesha Varma, in the same way you showed love and acceptance for the character in Lucifer. It's been five years since I last saw Stephen Nedumpally. And like all of you, I'm also curious to see his journey forward.”

Saikumar then disclosed, “When ‘Lucifer’ was being made, initially, its executive producer Sidhu Panaykkal, called me. I told him about my mobility issues and hung up, promising we'd meet for the next film.”

However, Saikumar said he got another call from the same number and this time, it was from the director. “…I got another call from the same number... this time, it was from dear Raju. Being Sukumaran's son, I've always had a special affection for him. As someone who was very close to his father, when I answered his call, he asked me, ‘What's the reason Chetta?’ I told him I had a problem with my leg and that I had difficulty walking. He said, ‘If you have difficulty walking, then our character will have it too. That's how Varma sir will be. Even if you are in a wheelchair, that's how Varma sir will be.’ That is how he cast me in ‘Lucifer’. Now, Like all of you, I'm eagerly waiting for Empuraan's arrival.”

Mohanlal-starrer L2: Empuraan (L2E) is directed by actor Prithviraj and produced jointly by Antony Perumbavoor and Subaskaran. The film’s story has been penned by Murali Gopy and its music has been scored by Deepak Dev. The film has cinematography by Sujith Vasudev and editing by Akhilesh Mohan.

It may be recalled that actor Prithviraj, during the initial stages of the film, had disclosed that the film would be a commercial entertainer starring Mohanlal. Murali Gopy, for his part, had said that this would be the second instalment in a three-film series.

'Lucifer', the first part of the franchise which was released in 2019 and marked the directorial debut of actor Prithviraj Sukumaran, emerged as a blockbuster in just eight days. It went on to make over Rs 200 crore, making it the highest-grossing Malayalam film ever.

Needless to say, expectations from the sequel, which is scheduled to hit screens on March 27 this year, have soared. IANS