Prithviraj Sukumaran’s views on the sequel trend? ( Photo Credit – Instagram )
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Prithviraj Sukumaran, who entered the Malayalam film industry as an actor, proved his directorial prowess with his debut film Lucifer (2019). Now, he is returning with a sequel titled L2: Empuraan and has shared his thoughts on the growing sequel culture in the Indian film industry.
According to Prithviraj, sequels make business sense. When a director creates a highly successful film and decides to expand it into a franchise, the next installment automatically generates more interest among audiences. Streaming platforms, too, are more inclined to invest in such projects due to the success of the previous entry in the franchise.
Prithviraj emphasizes that the creation of film franchises should not be driven solely by commercial interests. According to him, sequels should only be made if the story naturally warrants continuation, though he acknowledges that this is the ideal scenario. He stated, “It should be that your story needs to be told across so many films, or your story needs that kind of runtime to be completed.”
Prithviraj also credits S.S. Rajamouli for popularizing the sequel trend in India with the Baahubali franchise. While he acknowledges the existence of other film franchises before Baahubali, he believes the trend of sequels truly gained momentum with it. He remarked, “You realize that was a very honest part one and part two. You realize that the story really needed two films to be completed, so that should be the driving force.”
Prithviraj expressed his confidence in the Lucifer franchise, stating that the story justifies being told across three parts to fully develop the narrative arc. He explained that Lucifer (2019) can easily be enjoyed as a standalone film. However, that is not the case with L2: Empuraan, as it does not conclude the story entirely. Without a third part, the narrative would remain incomplete. He shared these insights during an interview with Hindustan Times.
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