| Lucifer | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Prithviraj Sukumaran |
| Written by | Murali Gopy |
| Produced by | Antony Perumbavoor |
| Starring | Mohanlal Vivek Oberoi Prithviraj Sukumaran Indrajith Sukumaran Manju Warrier Tovino Thomas John Vijay Saniya Iyappan |
| Cinematography | Sujith Vaassudev |
| Edited by | Samjith Mohammed |
| Music by | Deepak Dev |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Maxlab Cinemas and Entertainments |
Release date |
|
Running time | 174 minutes[1] |
| Country | India |
| Language | Malayalam |
| Budget | ₹30 crore[2] |
| Box office | est.₹129 crore[3] |
Lucifer is a 2019 IndianMalayalam-languagepoliticalaction thriller film directed byPrithviraj Sukumaran, in his directorial debut, and written byMurali Gopy. It is the first installment in theLucifer Universe. It is produced byAntony Perumbavoor throughAashirvad Cinemas. It starsMohanlal along with anensemble cast consisting ofVivek Oberoi,Prithviraj Sukumaran,Manju Warrier,Tovino Thomas,Indrajith Sukumaran,John Vijay,Saniya Iyappan,Nyla Usha,Saikumar,Baiju Santhosh,Kalabhavan Shajohn,Sachin Khedekar andFazil.
Development for the film began in 2016 when Gopy pitched the story to Prithviraj on the sets ofTiyaan. The title of the film was taken from a shelved project directed byRajesh Pillai, which was also written by Gopy but with a different story.Pre-production began in 2017 with Gopy completing the final draft of the screenplay in February 2018.Principal photography began in July that year and was completed in January 2019, with filming taking place acrossKerala inThiruvananthapuram,Idukki,Ernakulam, andKollam, along with schedules inMumbai,Bangalore, Lakshadweep, and Russia. The film's music was composed byDeepak Dev, with the cinematography and editing handled bySujith Vaassudev and Samjith Mohammed, respectively.
Lucifer was released in theatres worldwide on 28 March 2019 to positive reviews from critics. It was also dubbed and released inHindi,Tamil, andTelugu. The film broke many box office records for a Malayalam film, crossing the₹50 crore (US$5.9 million) mark in four days,₹100 crore (US$12 million) mark in eight days,[4][5][6] becoming the fastest Malayalam film to reach all these milestones.Lucifer was the first Malayalam film to earn more than ₹200 crore, including its box office collections and the earnings from the sale of its satellite rights and digital streaming rights in other languages.[7] It is currently one of thehighest-grossing Malayalam films. A sequel titledL2: Empuraan (2025) was released on 27 March 2025. It will then be followed by another sequel calledL3: Azrael.
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AtInterpol's office inLyon, officer Robert McCarthy is looking at reports about the Khureshi Ab'raam nexus—an infamoussecret society involved in transcontinental trade. A message from theCIA is received on his computer; they suspect a diamond-gold nexus is working in tandem with the warlords of Africa, and a rear image of a person taken inIstanbul on 7 April 2006 is attached. McCarthy dials Interpol's secure phone line and says:Flag it off. It's Ab'raam. Khureshi Ab'raam.
Meanwhile, inKerala,CM Perunjeri Kesava Ramadas / P. K. Ramdas alias "PKR", the leader of the ruling party Indian Union Front (IUF), dies in the hospital while getting treated in Mediyal Institute of Medical Science and Research, which turns out to be the opposition leader Medayil Rajan's daughter's hospital. Taking advantage of the situation and believing that it would benefit the upcoming election,actingCM Mahesha Varma sends party workers to riot outside the hospital. Govardhan, a truth-seeker, records a Facebooklive stream and condemns those who praise PKR, claiming that he was a puppet during his final years in the hands of afinancial syndicate, which controls the entire Indian political system. He claims that the IUF party has twice the amount of money as the entire state's treasury, and the person who replaces PKR is crucial. He lists five possible candidates during the live stream: Priyadarshini "Priya" Ramdas, Jathin Ramdas, Bimal "Bobby" Nair, Mahesha Varma, and Stephen Nedumpally.
Priya and Jathin are PKR's children. Priya has a college-going daughter, Jhanvi, from her first husband, Jayadevan, who died in a mysterious car accident inDubai seven years ago. She married Bobby, a notorious and discreetdrug lord, who is involved in real estate andHawala scams. This is all unknown to Priya. Jathin resides in theUS, with not much known about him. Varma declares himself as the most likely successor to PKR due to his seniority in the party and particularly for his lobbying skills. Stephen Nedumpally is a mysterious person promoted by PKR, which is not known until the last six years. Govardhan describes him as the "most dangerous" person capable of both saving and destroying Kerala, from the list, and addresses him asLucifer. Stephen's past is unknown. However, a little is known about his post-war reconstruction inIraq andAfghanistan as well as gold smuggling fromDubai, (United Arab Emirates) toKerala, (India) which is retrieved from Govardhan'sdark web research.
Govardhan questions why PKR endorsed such a person by consorting with him in every venue and vacating his consecutively winning last year's Nedumpallyassembly seat for him, last year. Meanwhile, inMumbai, Bobby meets his partner, Abdul, and tells him that PKR had given him an ultimatum to stop his drug trafficking a month ago. With PKR's demise, Bobby plans to fund the IUF party with drug money, overthrowing present financier Manappattil Chandy by offering him money three times as initially promised. With the help of Abdul, Bobby cuts a deal withdrug boss Fyodor, who agrees to transfer₹250 crore (US$30 million) every month in exchange for importing unchecked drug contraband into Kerala, once the IUF wins the election. For the deal to proceed, Bobby has to first set up a drug production plant. Abdul insists that the plant should be in the government-sealed timber factory in the Nedumpally range. At the same time, the last rites of PKR are carried out in Kerala, where Priya asks Varma to forbid Stephen from taking part in the ceremony.
On Varma's orders,city commissioner Mayilvahanam attempts to hinder his way, but fails. Jathin, who should be performing PKR rituals, is absent—last informed to be on a camping trip. On that night, Bobby arrives home, where he gives someMalana cream to Jhanvi, without Priya's knowledge and convenes a meeting with the IUF ministers, informing his decision to fund the party and dissolve the current ministry, which will ensure the preponement of the elections, so that they can take advantage on the present sympathy wave and nominate Jathin as the party's next CM candidate. Since Chandy is Stephen's ally, Varma advises Bobby to negotiate with Stephen, but Stephen objects to funding the party with the drug money and threatens Bobby. Enraged, Bobby assigns Sanjeev, who is the chief of IUF-funded news network NPTV, to start asmear campaign against Stephen, much to the chagrin of his co-worker and wife, Arundathi. A reporter is sent to Govardhan to collect evidence based on his claims.
Govardhan doesn't have the evidence, but claims Chandy is backed by the Khureshi Ab'raam gang, a nexus that controls the gold-diamond trade around the world and hands over a file namedGovardhan's X-Files containing pieces of evidence against Bobby. Sanjeev delivers the evidence to Bobby, where Govardhan is kidnapped by IUF activist Murugan and is temporarily held captive in an asylum. Bobby sent men to the timber factory. Upon knowing this, Stephen kills six of them and defeats the rest. Stephen's aide and Bobby's mole, Aloshy, spies the incident and reports it to Varma and Bobby. Mayilvaahanam is sent to detect evidence from the premises, but finds nothing. From Priya's diary, Bobby finds out that she resents Stephen because her father gave more care to him, who was brought to their home as a child, and was the cause of a rift between her parents. Stephen runs Ashrayam, a destitute home. Aloshy persuades one of the inmates, Aparna, to slander Stephen.
On NPTV, she accuses Stephen of raping her and sexually abusing other inmates within the "Ashrayam". This creates public outrage against Stephen, who is arrested and imprisoned. In prison, Stephen gets a phone call from his loyal deputy Zayed Masood, who leads an internationalmercenary group. Jathin arrives and impresses the public with his speech. While transferring funds to Bobby, Fyodor's containers are sabotaged by Zayed and his mercenaries, who demand that Abdul release Stephen from Jail. Bobby agrees, but Varma meets Rajan to arrange a hit on Stephen by his party goons in prison; the attempt fails. Left with no choice, Varma releases him. Meanwhile, Jhanvi is hospitalised afterLSD overdose. After questioning Jhanvi, Priya learns of Bobby's sexual abuses towards her. When asked, Bobby admits and threatens to expose Jhanvi's contacts with drug peddlers like him, and threatens to kill her and Jhanvi, like Jayadevan and PKR. Mayilvaahanam blackmails Priya for having sex with Jhanvi in exchange for not filing a case against Jhanvi.
With no other choice, Priya seeks the help of Stephen, and they meet at an abundantchurch, where he vows to protect them. Stephen's men kill Mayilvaahanam and meet Sanjeev to clear NPTV's debts, giving control of the channel to Priya. At the same time, Aparna admits on NPTV that she lied about Stephen. Jathin and Priya convene a press conference to expose Bobby's drug dealings and other illegal activities. Jathin tells Bobby that his and Priya's allegiances are with Stephen. Bobby is captured inMumbai by Fyodor's men. Before Fyodor could kill him, Zayed and his gang kill them, rescuing Bobby for Stephen to kill. Revealing himself to be Stephen's spy, Murugan kills Aloshy. Govardhan is released and reunited with his wife and daughter, and Jathin is elected as the new CM.
In thepost-credits scene, Stephen meets Zayed and his gang in a remote location inRussia. Zayed answers a phone call from a gold smuggler named Sanghani. Sanghani threatens through the phone, but Zayed hands the phone over to Stephen, who reveals himself as Khureshi Ab'raam, which shocks Sanghani. Zayed and Ab'raam then leave in a car. Headlines of various international newspapers are shown reporting the power of the Khureshi Ab'raam nexus in the whole world.
In 2012, a film titledLucifer was reported to be in development, to be directed byRajesh Pillai, written byMurali Gopy, and starringMohanlal in the lead role. It was to be produced byAntony Perumbavoor ofAashirvad Cinemas, and was planned as a 2013 release.[8][9] Pillai later confirmed the project and said that it is his"dream come true" to direct Mohanlal and the film will be a "treat" for his fans. Filming was to begin in 2013.[10] Aashirvad Cinemas registered the title in 2012 with the Kerala Film Chamber of Commerce. However, in May 2013, Pillai said the production would not begin that year as he was busy withMotorcycle Diaries and Murali was working onLeft Right Left; they are planning a discussion in June hoping to begin filming by January 2014. He also disclosedLucifer would be a thriller and that the story had been developed.[11] Pillai's regular collaboratorKunchacko Boban was reported to be part of the cast. Boban commented that he had not signed the film, but did not deny the possibility.[12] Pillai confirmed that Gopy would also be acting in the project, besides writing it.[13] As of May 2013, only Mohanlal and Gopy were part of the cast.[14] In July, it was reported Murali had begun writing the screenplay.[15] However, the project was put on hold and Pillai decided to work on other projects.[16] After Pillai's death in February 2016, the film wasshelved.[17][18]
In July 2016, Gopy revealed toThe Hindu in an interview that he was planning to work on a screenplay titledLucifer between his other commitments.[19] On 15 September, actorPrithviraj Sukumaran announced thatLucifer, written by Murali Gopy, starring Mohanlal and produced by Aashirvad Cinemas, would be his directorial debut.[20] Murali and Prithviraj clarified that it is not the same film as Pillai'sLucifer, but they have taken the title.[21][22] Murali had prepared two one-line stories both under theworking titleLucifer. Pillai was to direct the film based on the first story, but that film did not materialise; he discarded that story. The second story was narrated to Prithviraj, whom he agreed to direct.[18][23]
Murali had discussed the story with Mohanlal in 2012; no director was finalised at the time.[24][25] Murali said that Prithviraj had shown interest in directing a film based on his screenplay and they discussed it for about a year. Prithviraj also wished to cast Mohanlal in his directorial debut, which is why he narrated the story ofLucifer to him.[22][26] Muralipitched the idea to Prithviraj on the sets ofTiyaan in 2016 at theRamoji Film City.[27][28] Prithviraj was skeptical to whether Mohanlal and Antony Perumbavoor would agree on him directing the film as "it was a story that any big filmmaker would say yes to". The next day, Antony met them in Hyderabad and gave the project thegreenlight.[29][30] According to Prithviraj, "the thought behind the film and what the film can be" attracted him.[31] Murali was planning to write the final draft of screenplay after finishing his acting commitments inTiyaan andKammara Sambhavam.[22]
In December 2016, Mohanlal revealed thatLucifer was in early development and needed to be developed into a screenplay saying, "the content has to be good and that's what the focus is right now".[32] In February 2017, Prithviraj revealed thatpre-production would begin in late 2017 and filming would begin in 2018.[31][33] In April, Mohanlal, Prithviraj, Murali and Antony announced in a press conference that the film had entered pre-production.[34] Prithviraj revealed that the script had not yet been "fleshed out" and the rest of the cast would be decided after that.[35][36] Prithviraj purchased an apartment inThevara as a work-space for the scripting and pre-production work ofLucifer and his future projects: "I felt I needed a space to assemble my team. Do the research and develop the film. This place might well be known asLucifer's office in future".[37] In June 2017, in an interview, Prithviraj revealed thatLucifer would be release in 2019.[38] In October, Murali revealed that he would be taking a break from acting afterKammara Sambhavam to writeLucifer and complete it by February 2018.[39] In December, Prithviraj revealed that the writing was progressing and filming was to commence by the end of May or early June 2018 after he completes the first schedule ofAadujeevitham.[40]
Murali and Prithviraj narrated the final draft of the screenplay to Mohanlal on 26 March 2018 on the sets ofOdiyan. Mohanlal liked the script and agreed to go ahead with shooting.[41] In June, Mohanlal toldThe Times of India that the film would be shot inKerala,Mumbai, and in a foreign location. The team was finalising the locations inThiruvananthapuram by the end of the month. Prithviraj disclosed in a channel podcast that filming would begin on 18 July.[42][43] This was later updated to 16 July.[44][45] Near to the beginning of filming, Prithviraj hinted that the film deals with politics.[46] However, he revealed that "it's a not a film about politics but the story happens with politics in the background".[47] The names of the technical crew were revealed in July when the first poster was released. It carries the tagline "blood, brotherhood, betrayal".[48]
In 2014, while appearing on theTamil talk showKoffee with DD, Prithviraj said that Mohanlal andManju Warrier are his "dream cast" if he ever directs a film.[49] In September 2016, Murali said that he was uncertain as to whether he would be acting in the film, noting that it was premature to discuss the cast other than Mohanlal.[50] Ultimately, he was not part of the final cast. In January 2018,Madhusudhan Rao confirmed his casting in the film. He co-starred alongside Prithviraj inAdam Joan (2017), during which he was promised a role inLucifer. However, he eventually did not feature in the film.[51] In the following month,Lena revealedLucifer as one of her upcoming projects.[52] Both Rao and Lena were not part of the final cast. Following unconfirmed reports of Warrier's casting in May, a source close to the actress confirmed the news toThe Times of India. However, when asked, the production house stated the casting process was progressing and was subject to changes.[53][54] She was finally cast in the role of Priyadarshini Ramdas.[55]
In June, it was reportedSaniya Iyappan would be playing the role ofManju Warrier's on-screen daughter.[56][55] In early July, Antony Perumbavoor revealed thatVivek Oberoi was a part of the film and expressed his gratitude for having him on board.[57][58]Lucifer marks Oberoi's debut inMalayalam cinema. He spent a month preparing for the role and retained adiction coach to help him understand the Malayalam language and its pronunciation.[59] Oberoi's voice wasdubbed byVineeth. During post-production, Prithviraj himself dubbed all the dialogues of Oberoi and gave them to Vineeth as a reference for the character's sound modulation.[60] In July, Prithviraj confirmed that his brotherIndrajith Sukumaran was part of the cast.[27][61] He plays the character of Govardhan.[62] In the same month,Pauly Valsan stated that she had been called for a 6-day shoot.[63] In August,Mamta Mohandas revealed that Prithviraj had spoken to her about a role, but could not reveal anything about it at that time.[64] She was however replaced byNyla Usha.[citation needed]
Prithviraj asked directorFazil to play the role of Father Nedumpally, a priest. Fazil, who had not acted in a film for nearly 34 years, commented that he agreed to take the role as he could not refuse Prithviraj.[65] He plays the role of a mentor to Stephen.[66] Prithviraj cast hisRanam co-starGiju John in a pivotal role.[67]Tovino Thomas,Sachin Khedekar,Shivaji Guruvayoor,Nandu,John Vijay,Kalabhavan Shajohn,Sai Kumar,Baiju Santhosh were among the other actors cast in the film. Prithviraj also acted in the film as Zayed Masood. His role was kept under wraps and was revealed two days before the film's release.[68]
Principal photography began on 16 July 2018 with a customarypooja function held at Springdale Heritage resort inVandiperiyar,Idukki.Sujith Vaassudev was the film's director of photography.[69] Mohanlal was expected to join production in the following days.[70] Filming took place atKuttikkanam and Vandiperiyar early in the schedule,[71] and inThodupuzha later that month.[72] Filming also took place inKochi andErnakulam, before moving toThiruvananthapuram.[73] Around 2000junior artists (extras) participated in the shoot in Ernakulam.[74] Thereafter, shooting was scheduled inThiruvananthapuram from 6 August to 15 September for 40 days.[75] Mohanlal's first shot was with Fazil.[76] They had two scenes and shot for three days.[65] Stephen's (Mohanlal) car used in the film is aHindustan Landmaster inscribed with thenumber 666 on thevehicle registration plate.[77] Filming took place in Vandiperiyar in early August and was planned to take place until 10 August.[78]
Filming was planned across 25 locations in theThiruvananthapuram district, beginning atGovernment College for Women from 12 August.Government Model Boys Higher Secondary School was one of the locations on this schedule.[78] Scenes featuring Oberoi and Warrier were shot at theKuthiramalika Palace on 20 August. On the same day, the film was also shot at a resort inPoovar. Mohanlal, who was on a break, resumed filming on 21 August.[79][80] Warrier was spotted during the shoot atAzeezia Medical College inKollam.[citation needed] Filming took place at theKanakakkunnu Palace on 28 August, where Mohanlal and Warrier were present.[81] During the shoot, many of the white taxis were transformed intoofficial state cars.[82] By the end of the month, Tovino joined the set at the Kanakakkunnu Palace grounds.[83] He completed his portions in the film by early September.[84] Before his departure, his scenes with Warrier were shot at the beginning of the month and his other scenes in late September. The Thiruvananthapuram scenes was scheduled to last until 20 September, and then was to move to Kuttikkanam.[85] Oberoi acted in a scene shot at theGreenfield International Stadium early that month.[86] Sai Kumar and Shivaji Guruvayoor took part in the shoot that took place at a university hostel in Thiruvananthapuram in the beginning of September.[87]
In an interview, actorNandu said that many of the film's scenes comprised 40–50 shots and contain 500–1000 junior artists; some have as many as 3000–4000 artists.[74] Filming went on around theoverpass beside theChandrasekharan Nair Stadium inPalayam on 4 September.[88][89] More than 2000 junior artists participated in that scene. It features Stephen arriving at a large riot.[90] Around 5000 junior artists took part in a major scene shot inAdimalathura beach; more than 100 vehicles were used. Reportedly, almost every major character in the film was present in that scene.[91] It was filmed in 15 days.[74] After the schedule at Thiruvananthapuram was completed on 20 September, the production was put on hold for a break and the next session began on 5 October in Kuttikkanam.[92]
Giju John joined the set in early October and took part in a one-day shoot in Thiruvananthapuram and later in Kochi for his remaining portions.[67] For filming a fight scene, Prithviraj went forlocation scouting inMinicoy, Lakshadweep later that month.[93][94]Stunt Silva was the film's fight choreographer.[95] Filming was scheduled for three days from 30 October to 1 November in Thiruvananthapuram for scenes featuring Tovino and Indrajith. Filming inKerala was completed and the next schedule was to begin inMumbai from 4 November.[96][97] A set was built in Mumbai, Prithviraj said: "I have a wish that the Mumbai we show inLucifer is not what we have seen before in films. It's a major schedule". Mohanlal joined the set by mid-November.[47] Sachin Khedekar was featured in the Mumbai schedule.[98] The team moved to Russia in December, where filming took place inSaint Petersburg. Mohanlal completed his portions in the film in this schedule.[99][100] Filming also took place inBangalore.[101] On 30 December 2018, Prithviraj revealed in a public interaction said that the principal photography was near completion with only four-day patch-up shots remaining to be filmed inLakshadweep. The inability to reach the island caused a delay; in the meantime,post-production had begun.[102] Filming was wrapped on 20 January 2019 at theKavaratti island in Lakshadweep.[103]
Deepak Dev provided the music for the film. The soundtrack album was distributed by the label Goodwill Entertainment.Usha Uthup rendered a song titled "Empuraane – The Lucifer Anthem".[104] For the film, Dev redesigned andprogrammed the patriotic song "Varika Varika Sahajare", originally composed byG. Devarajan and written byAmsi Narayanapilla during theSalt March and was sung by Murali Gopy.[105] "Kadavule Pole" written by Logan was sung byKarthik.[106] "Raftaara" sung byJyotsna was written by Tanishk Nabar.[107] The entirebackground score album was released on 26 January 2021, coinciding with theRepublic Day of India.
The film was released in theatres worldwide on 28 March 2019.[108] It was also dubbed and released in other Indian languages.[109] TheTelugu dubbed version of the film was released on 12 April 2019.[110] On 30 March 2019, Google India released an animateddoodle on their Twitter page featuringMohanlal andYuvraj Singh playing tennis, with a caption: "The heroes who know how to smash all records".Lucifer,Miami Open, and Yuvraj Singh topped theGoogle Trends on the week.[111]Lucifer was released fordigital download on 16 May 2019, available asVOD onAmazon Prime Video in Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu languages.[112]
The satellite rights of theMalayalam version were sold toAsianet.[citation needed] TheTamil version was given toStar Vijay Super[citation needed], and theKannada dubbed version was given toStar Suvarna.[citation needed] TheHindi dubbed version was given toSony Max.[citation needed]
Lucifer received positive reviews from critics praising its cast performances, cinematography, background score, action sequences, and direction.
Sanjith Sidhardhan ofThe Times of India gave 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "Lucifer is a 'mass entertainer’ that is sure to please the fans and has enough going for it to make it an engaging thriller as well. And apart from the mandatoryStan Lee, correction, Antony Perumbavoor cameo, watch out for Stephen's second avatar in the film."[113] However,Firstpost gave 1.75 out of 5 stars and wrote "There is so much that could have been done with this intriguingly frank and realistic theory on the essentialness of evil — in politics and for human survival at large. What we get instead isLucifer's transparent ambition that overwhelms everything else in this enterprise."[114] Abin Ponnappan ofThe Indian Express wrote "Lucifer has some obvious parallels to Tamil moviePetta byKarthik Subbaraj, where the director made better use of the star and actor inRajinikanth. As Karthik gave life to the Rajini fan in him, he also revived Rajini's lost magic from earlier hits likePadayappa andBaashha. Prithviraj has tried to bring out the best version of Mohanlal, the star. For Mohanlal fans like him all over the world, Lucifer will be a treat."[115]
Sethuraman. S ofFilm Companion gave 3 out of 5 stars and wrote, " 'Lucifer' " is a clichéd plot written cleverly and delivered with aplomb. Prithviraj makes an assured directorial debut with the film that was high on budget and expectation. The movie has lived up to the hype and will set the box office cash registers ringing for a long time."[116] Lakshana. N. Palat ofIndia Today gave 3 out of 5 stars and wrote, "In short, Lucifer is like Mohanlal fanfiction brought to life on-screen. If you swear by Mohanlal, go for it."[117]Sify gave 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "Lucifer is a masala entertainer that is no less than a treat for the fans of Mohanlal. It is an intriguing political crime thriller with smashing dialogue. Go for it!"[118] S. Yadhunath ofMathrabhumi wrote "‘Lucifer’ is a mass movie which celebrates the mannerisms of superstar Mohanlal. In fact, it is a Mohanlal starrer which filled the audience’s hearts afterPulimurugan. By discussing the unseen dimensions in politics, the film conveys that politics is the most dramatic stage. It is a complete political thriller played by a complete actor. Sujith Vasudev's visuals and Deepak Dev's background music maintain the mood of the movie."[119] Sowmya Rajendran ofThe News Minute gave 2 out of 5 stars and wrote "Mohanlal is all mass, but the film lacks a strong script and depends too much on stylized shots and background music to do the job."[120]
The opening day worldwide gross is estimated to be ₹14  crore.[121] In the opening weekend (28 – 31 March), the film earned ₹26.70 crore in India, including ₹22.05 crore from Kerala alone and ₹4.65 crore from rest of India with major share coming fromKarnataka andTamil Nadu. In the overseas markets, it grossed a total of₹27.2 crore (US$3.2 million) in the opening weekend (which is bigger than the domestic weekend total), including₹22.2 crore (US$2.6 million) from theUnited Arab Emirates (UAE) and otherGulf Cooperation Council (GCC) territories,₹2.27 crore (US$270,000) from the United States, and₹2.73 crore (US$320,000) from the United Kingdom and other regions. The estimated total worldwide gross was₹53.90 crore (US$6.4 million) –₹54.77 crore (US$6.5 million) in the opening weekend (the highest for any Malayalam film), by doing soLucifer emerged as one of the top highest-grossing Malayalam films of all time and the fastest Malayalam film to pass₹50 crore (US$5.9 million) mark (in 4 days), per trade analysts.[122]
Lucifer had more than 160,000 admissions in the UAE in 3 days, beatingCaptain Marvel.[123][124] Opening weekend (28 – 31 March) total was₹17.8 crore (US$2.1 million) from 61 screens, the best grosser of that weekend.[125] It is also the second biggest opening weekend in the UAE for a South Indian film, behindBaahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017).[122][126] In the UK, the film was ranked seventh in the list of top ten best grossing films of the weekend 29 – 31 March, with₹1.42 crore (US$170,000) from 89 sites,Lucifer was the only foreign language film that came within the top ten positions.[127]Lucifer with₹30.73 crore (US$3.6 million) had the third best opening of the year for an Indian film in overseas markets, behindPetta ($6.62 million) andGully Boy ($4.8 million).[122] The film grossed₹25 crore (US$3.0 million) from the UAE in six weeks,₹43.16 lakh (US$51,000) from New Zealand in three weeks,[128] and₹77.24 lakh (US$91,000) from Australia in three weeks.[129]
On 7 April, trade analystTaran Adarsh tweeted: "#Lucifer has emerged a trendsetter for #Malayalam films internationally. Earlier, #Malayalam films would record big numbers in certain markets [UAE-GCC in particular], but #Lucifer is doing exceptional biz everywhere, despite other language movies posing tough competition ... the super success of #Lucifer in the international arena should open the eyes of the #Malayalam film industry... And encourage makers of #Malayalam films to explore newer markets, ...".[130][131] A month after release, the film became the 13th highest-grossing South Indian film overseas, by grossing₹50.03 crore (US$5.9 million), and the first Malayalam film to gross₹50 crore (US$5.9 million) in overseas box office.[132] In an article published byPinkvilla in May 2023, it was reported that the worldwide gross collection of the film was₹125.50 crore.[133]
| Award | Category | Winner | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kerala State Film Awards | Best Dubbing Artist | Vineeth (dubbed for Vivek Oberoi) | [134] |
| Kerala Film Critics Awards | Best Editor | Samjith Mohammed | [135] |
| Special Jury Award (Director) | Prithviraj Sukumaran | ||
| Vanitha Film Awards | Most Popular Film | Antony Perumbavoor (producer) | [136] |
| Best Director | Prithviraj Sukumaran | ||
| Best Actor | Mohanlal | ||
| Best Actress | Manju Warrier | ||
| Best Villain | Vivek Oberoi | ||
| Asianet Film Awards | Best Director | Prithviraj Sukumaran | [137] |
| Best Actor | Mohanlal | ||
| Best Actor in a Negative Role | Vivek Oberoi | ||
| Best Film | Antony Perumbavoor | ||
| Mazhavil Entertainment Awards | Best Director | Prithviraj Sukumaran | [138] |
| Best Action Choreographer | Stunt Silva | ||
| South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Film (Malayalam) | Antony Perumbavoor (producer) | [139] |
| Best Debut Director (Malayalam) | Prithviraj Sukumaran | [140] | |
| Best Actor in a Leading Role (Malayalam) | Mohanlal | [141] | |
| Best Actress in a Leading Role (Malayalam) | Manju Warrier | ||
| Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Malayalam) | Saniya Iyappan | [139] |
When asked about any prequel or sequel plans, Murali told toThe Hindu: "It has been made evident on screen that the film is modelled as a franchise platform. There are sumptuous dramatic clues and hideaways throughout the film, which hint at continuity".[142] On a May 2019 interview toThe Times of India, Prithviraj said that he has not decided on directing a sequel because of the time he needs to find for the film in between his busy acting schedules. At the same time, he said: "Lucifer was never written as a one-film story. From the time Murali and I started talking about the story, we knew it wasn't something that would end in a single film. In fact, I was quite tempted to do an 11-episode web series because the story is that spread out. We have sort of just picked one area with a few characters of a saga".[143]
On 18 June 2019, a follow-up to the film titledL2: Empuraan was officially announced by Prithviraj, Mohanlal, Murali, and Antony at a press conference held at Kochi. The film was set to begin production in the second half of 2020,[144] but was put on hold indefinitely due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. According to Prithviraj, "Empuraan" means "more than a King and less than a god" and the literal meaning would be "overlord".[145] He saidEmpuraan will not be a continuation of the story seen inLucifer, but will explain what happened before and afterLucifer. He also revealed that Zayed Masood's role in Stephen's and Khureshi's life is not as small as what is seen inLucifer.[146]
In late September 2019, actorChiranjeevi during a press event forSye Raa Narasimha Reddy in Kerala announced that he would star in the Telugu version of the film, and has already bought theremake rights, adding that he would start filming afterSye Raa, he even announced his intent to have Prithviraj direct the Telugu remake, being impressed with the Malayalam version.[147][148] The remake titledGodfather began its production in 2021 withMohan Raja as the director.[149]
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