The Lucifer franchise, spearheaded by actor-director Prithviraj Sukumaran and fronted by the iconic Mohanlal, has transformed from a politically charged action thriller into an expansive cinematic universe teeming with intrigue, vengeance, and ideological conflict. With L2: Empuraan broadening its canvas to encompass international conspiracies, shadow wars, and deeply personal vendettas, the narrative has outgrown its roots in Kerala’s political arena and now unfolds on a truly global stage. So, let’s take a closer look at where the story is headed.
Spoilers Ahead
L2: Empuraan (2025) Plot Summary and Movie Synopsis:
What Happens to Subhadra Ben?
Subhadra Ben stands out as a rare figure of kindness during the 2002 Gujarat riots. Despite her status in a powerful Hindu royal family, she chooses humanity over religious divide. She shelters Zayed Masood and his Muslim family, risking not just her reputation but her life. Her act shows moral courage in a time when fear and prejudice rule society. Subhadra entrusts the Masoods’ safety to her nephew Munna. But Munna harbours a deep-seated hatred for Muslims. Blinded by this hate, he betrays her trust and informs his brother, Balraj Patel, a known Hindu extremist. Munna’s actions reflect the destructive power of inherited prejudice. It is not loyalty to family, but loyalty to ideology that drives him.
Balraj Patel leads a violent mob that kills Zayed’s entire family. When he learns that Subhadra Ben was behind their shelter, he turns on her. To Balraj, Subhadra’s compassion is treason. Her murder is not just personal, it is a warning to anyone who crosses communal lines. She is killed not for violence, but for defying it. Subhadra Ben dies upholding her values. In a world torn apart by hate, she chooses humanity. Her death highlights the tragedy of good people lost in the fire of communal hatred. For Zayed, her sacrifice marks both trauma and inspiration, a reminder that even in darkness, some still choose light.
Why Does Jathin Ramdas Make an Ally with Balraj?
Jathin Ramdas, once a dominant Chief Minister in Kerala, faces mounting pressure. With corruption and money-laundering allegations surrounding him, his image is damaged. His party, the Indian Union Front (IUF), begins to collapse as the opposition Akhanda Shakthi Morcha (ASM) rises. In desperation, Jathin chooses political survival over loyalty or ideology.
He breaks away from the IUF and forms a new faction, IUF PKR, aligning with ASM. Balraj, now operating as Baba Bajrangi, leads ASM with national ambitions. He hides his violent past behind a spiritual mask. Jathin sees an opportunity here. By aligning with Balraj, he gains protection, resources, and renewed political relevance. It is a calculated move; Jathin knows that aligning with a rising force, even if morally questionable, will help him stay in power.
The alliance is not based on shared values, but shared greed. Balraj aims to exploit Kerala’s political system under the name of service. Jathin, trapped in scandals, is drawn to this model of hidden profiteering. Both men view politics as a tool for personal gain. Their partnership reflects a corrupt nexus where power, money, and control matter more than the public good. Jathin’s shift also hints at fear.
With Govardhan investigating Stephen Nedumpally, the adopted son of P.K. Ramdas, the past is catching up. Jathin might fear exposure of deeper secrets. Aligning with Balraj could offer protection and a powerful shield. The move reveals the decay in his leadership, a man once in power, now clinging to relevance through dangerous compromises.
What Is Khureshi Ab’raam’s Original Plan?
Khureshi Ab’raam, once known as Stephen Nedumpally, begins his journey not to rise as a crime lord, but to dismantle a corrupt system from within. Disillusioned by Indian politics and the betrayal of his ideals, he reinvents himself in exile. His original plan is rooted in subversion; to infiltrate global criminal networks, gain control, and then destroy them from the inside. Ab’raam does not chase power for its own sake. He believes that systemic rot must be uprooted using its own tools.
Unlike many in his sphere, Ab’raam draws a hard line against drug trafficking. He sees it as a poison that weakens communities and nations. This moral code becomes clear when he eliminates Interpol officer Robert McCarthy and Sergei Leonov, both of whom are secretly aiding Kabuga in a cross-continental drug operation. By stopping the Senegal-Guinea drug route, Ab’raam sends a message: he may operate in the shadows, but he has principles.
Ab’raam’s next move is strategic: a meeting with Kabuga in Iraq. But this is no negotiation. He intends to dismantle Kabuga’s entire drug empire. With the help of Zayed, Ab’raam prepares for a decisive confrontation. He fakes his death, using the media to mislead enemies and divert attention. This maneuver not only protects his mission but also disrupts political stability in Kerala, a calculated side-effect that creates room for his future return. Khureshi Ab’raam’s original plan is not to build an empire, but to burn down the corrupted ones. His methods are extreme, his identity blurred, but his goal remains focused: to fight systemic evil with surgical precision, while staying two steps ahead of his enemies.
How Does Priyadarshini Enter Politics?
Priyadarshini, daughter of PK Ramdas (PKR), holds a symbolic role in the Indian Union Front (IUF). Despite her lineage, she avoids active politics. Her brother Jathin controls the party, and she chooses to stay in the shadows, respecting the internal balance. She never plans to lead or speak out against her own family, especially not in public. Everything changes because of Jathin’s arrogance. Over the years, he corrupts the IUF, betrays its founding principles, and aligns with Balraj, a communal leader with criminal intent. Jathin does not believe in the people or the cause. He only wants to secure power, erase corruption charges, and profit from illegal trade deals and infrastructure projects like the Korean-backed check dam.
Believing Stephen is dead, Jathin assumes the last voice of conscience in the party is gone. Fearing that Priyadarshini might speak at a protest rally against the dam, which threatens the villagers of Nedumpally, he threatens her. Ironically, she wasn’t even planning to attend. But his threat changes everything. Jathin’s threat awakens something in Priyadarshini. She realizes that silence now equals complicity. By trying to silence her, Jathin exposes his desperation and guilt. This pushes her to act.
She appears at the protest meet, not just as PKR’s daughter, but as a leader. Her speech doesn’t focus on religion, like Jathin fears; instead, she exposes government corruption, drawing attention away from communal politics. Priyadarshini enters politics not by ambition, but by necessity. It is Jathin’s own paranoia and greed that compel her to lead. In trying to suppress her, he accidentally creates his strongest opposition: one rooted in truth, legacy, and justice.
L2: Empuraan (2025) Movie Ending Explained:
What Happens to Balraj?
Balraj, blinded by arrogance and desperation, attempts to eliminate Priyadarshini to retain political control. Along with Munna and I.B. officer Karthik, he hires thugs to assassinate her. However, their plan fails when Stephen, presumed dead, returns with a team of elite operatives to rescue her. Priyadarshini survives and begins to take control of the IUF, gaining massive public support. Instead of weakening her, Balraj’s actions backfire. His decision to have the NIA arrest Priyadarshini on flimsy charges further boosts her popularity. The public begins to see the central government and ASM as authoritarian forces trying to silence a democratic voice. Balraj’s paranoia and political short-sightedness isolate him within his own alliance.
Stephen decides to dismantle the alliance that corrupted the ideals of his party and his state. He abducts Jathin and Munna, sending a clear message. While Jathin is taken to an abandoned oil rig, Munna is dragged back to the site of the massacre that wiped out Zayed’s family, a grim symbol of past sins. Stephen lures Balraj to the location under false pretenses. There, he finds Munna mutilated and strapped with a bomb. It explodes upon his arrival, triggering chaos.
A brutal fight ensues, led by Zayed, whose life was destroyed by Balraj’s violence years ago. After a brutal takedown of Balraj’s men, Zayed shoots Balraj and watches him drown in the very bog he had once crossed to escape communal terror. Balraj’s death feels like justice served, cinematic and cathartic. But it also leaves behind a fractured nation. While Zayed completes his revenge, the political landscape deteriorates. The fall of Balraj may cleanse personal wounds, but it ignites a deeper unrest in a country already teetering on the edge.
Is Jathin Dead or Alive?
Jathin hits rock bottom after the deaths of Balraj, Munna, and Karthik. His political ambitions collapse, and his illusions of power fade. Stephen confronts him with two options: either return to the IUF as an ordinary worker and redeem himself through service, or face the same brutal end as Balraj and Bobby. Jathin does not give a clear answer.
This silence implies indecision, guilt, or even a final attempt at self-redemption. As Jathin boards a helicopter to return from the abandoned oil rig, it seems he might choose the path of repentance. However, the narrative swerves sharply. Stephen receives a call from the leader of the Shen Triad, who reveals his alliance with Kabuga, the African warlord Stephen had killed earlier. Seeking revenge, the Triad boss wants Stephen to suffer. To prove his seriousness, he kills MI6 officer Boris Oliver and detonates Jathin’s helicopter mid-air. Jathin dies instantly
The Triad boss claims he is taking the life of Stephen’s ‘brother’ in retaliation for Kabuga’s death. While this refers to Jathin, Stephen’s gaze shifts to Zayed, revealing that his true brother is not by blood or political lineage, but by shared values and sacrifice. The look captures a shift in Stephen’s emotional core and confirms that Jathin, despite once being close, is no longer the brother figure he once was. Jathin is dead. His death is not just physical but symbolic, the collapse of corrupted power and missed redemption. His end marks the beginning of a larger geopolitical conflict, setting the stage for a China vs. India confrontation in Lucifer 3.
Will there be a Lucifer 3?
Yes, “Lucifer 3” is confirmed. The post-credits scene in “Empuraan” lays the foundation for it. The leader of the Shen Triad begins hunting down Stephen Nedumpally, aka Khureshi Ab’raam. He wants to know who Ab’raam really is and how to defeat him. This shift in focus sets the stage for a prequel-sequel hybrid titled “L3: The Beginning.” It promises to explore Stephen’s rise in 1980s Bombay, while continuing his story in the present timeline. The narrative is expected to oscillate between two timelines, the politically turbulent present and Stephen’s origin story. Young Stephen will be played by Pranav Mohanlal, a smart move that avoids distracting digital de-aging effects. These flashbacks will likely show how Stephen became Ab’raam and reveal his first encounters with the global criminal world.
With Kabuga dead, the Shen Triad wants revenge. They bomb Jathin’s helicopter and assassinate an MI6 officer to send a message. Now, Stephen faces an international threat, pushing the franchise toward a more global, high-stakes conflict. “L3” also promises a deeper emotional journey. Stephen will likely struggle against a superior enemy, be forced to confront his past, and rebuild his strength. After two films establishing his dominance, he now needs to fall and rise again. This vulnerability is crucial to keep the character interesting and grounded. The groundwork is laid, the villain is introduced, and the character arc demands a continuation. Expect a high-octane, politically charged saga that dives into Stephen’s roots and redefines what it means to fight back.
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