Actor Mike Novikov on working in L2: Empuraan: It was my first time to India and I loved the country

Chennai, Feb 13 (IANS) Actor Mike Novikov, who has acted in director Prithviraj’s upcoming political action drama L2: Empuraan(L2E) says that he was invited to India for his role in the second part and that it was an amazing experience.

Malayalam superstar Mohanlal, who plays the lead in the film on Thursday introduced Mike Novikov as Sergei Leonov in the film.

Taking to his social media pages, Mohanlal tweeted, “Character No.27 Mike Novikov as Sergei Leonov in #L2E #EMPURAAN.” A link to a YouTube video in which Novikov was seen explaining about his character in the film was also posted.

Novikov, in the video, said, “In this amazing movie, I play the Russian gangster Sergei Leonov. Actually, I was filmed in the first part of Lucifer in 2019 in Russia. It was only one day of shooting. But after five years, this turned out to be an interesting role. I was invited to India. It was an amazing experience. It was my first time to India and I loved the country. Completely different culture, customs and traditions. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the entire unit. They are all great professionals and it was a big pleasure and an honour to work with such a great team on such a unique project. I am sure this film will be very successful.”

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 Vaassudev 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 released in 2019 and which marked the directorial debut of actor Prithviraj Sukumaran, emerged 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

Mkr/