Pooja Pillai is an entertainment journalist with Asian Media Group, where she covers cinema, pop culture, internet trends, and the politics of representation. Her work spans interviews, cultural features, and social commentary across digital platforms.
She began her reporting career as a news anchor, scripting and presenting stories for a regional newsroom. With a background in journalism and media studies, she has since built a body of work exploring how entertainment intersects with social and cultural shifts, particularly through a South Indian lens.
She brings both newsroom rigour and narrative curiosity to her work, and believes the best stories don’t just inform — they reveal what we didn’t know we needed to hear.
The much-anticipated sequel to Lucifer (2019), L2: Empuraan, has arrived, riding on sky-high expectations. Directed by Prithviraj Sukumaran and starring Mohanlal, the film promised to push Malayalam cinema to international standards. But does it live up to the hype? Critics and audiences are divided.
Empuraan expands the Lucifer universe, diving into the past of Mohanlal’s Stephen Nedumpally AKA Khureshi Ab’raam while fleshing out Zayed Masood, played by Prithviraj Sukumaran. The film juggles global crime networks with Kerala’s political chaos, but many critics argue that the constant back-and-forth weakens the storytelling. According to some, the first half builds intrigue, but slow pacing and excessive exposition take away from its impact. Some reviewers appreciated the effort to deepen the narrative, while others felt it lost the crispness of the original.
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Mohanlal commands attention whenever he appears, delivering the gravitas and aura expected from his role. However, much like in Lucifer, he is used sparingly, making his presence felt but leaving us wanting more of him in the movie. Meanwhile, Prithviraj takes centre stage as Zayed Masood, with a backstory that, while compelling, slows down the momentum of the present-day events. Tovino Thomas as Jatin Ramdas and Manju Warrier as Priyadarshini add to the drama, with Manju getting a meatier role this time. Some appreciated Manju Warrier's expanded role, while others wished her character had even more to do.
No one can faultEmpuraan for its technical finesse. Sujith Vaassudev’s cinematography delivers breathtaking visuals, and we can clearly say it’s a step ahead of what we expected in terms of the visuals. Deepak Dev’s score enhances certain moments beautifully. But some critics feel the film leans too much on spectacle, especially with the long slow-motion sequences, elaborate world-building, and stretched-out action scenes that could have been crisper with tighter editing. Others, however, feel the grandeur is justified, elevating Malayalam cinema to a global scale.
Social media reactions, however, reflect the split verdict. While many fans hail the grand production values and Mohanlal’s magnetic screen presence, others argue that Empuraan prioritises style over substance. Some feel the film lacks the strong emotional core that made Lucifer stand out, while others were left underwhelmed by what they see as a predictable revenge plot. A few critics also noted that the film sets up more for future instalments rather than delivering a fully rounded story on its own.
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L2: Empuraan is ambitious and visually stunning, a never-seen-before spectacle, but does it pack the punch of a great sequel? While it delivers a thrilling ride for fans of the franchise, it feels more like a stepping stone to something bigger rather than a fully satisfying standalone experience. Whether it was worth the wait depends on what you value more: style or storytelling. However, despite its storytelling flaws, the film remains a grand theatrical spectacle best experienced on the big screen with all its cinematic flair.
Perry's onstage quip about "Englishmen" felt like a deliberate signal.
Those yacht photos are, frankly, undeniable.
It started with a Montreal dinner most people missed.
Both are out of long-term relationships.
Well, she’s as good as confirmed it, hasn’t she? Katy Perry just tossed a verbal grenade into her London concert, and the pieces all point to Justin Trudeau. That line about Englishmen? You do not say that by accident. It lands just days after those, let's face it, pretty steamy pictures of them surfaced on her boat. This Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau thing is suddenly feeling very real, shifting from rumours to a full-blown celebrity romance.
Katy Perry’s stage moment sparks worldwide fan theories about a secret romance Getty Images
So what did she actually say?
Mid-show at the O2, looking out at the crowd, she hits them with this: "London, England, you’re like this on a Monday night?... No wonder I fall for Englishmen all the time."
Pause.
Then came the kicker: "...but not anymore." The place erupts. It was too specific, too perfectly timed. And then, almost as if scripted, some fan proposes to her. Her comeback was: "I wish you’d asked me 48 hours ago." What is that, if not a nod to a new, serious someone?
Let’s talk about the yacht. The Daily Mail got those shots and, while grainy, the story they tell is crystal clear. The photos were taken off the coast of Santa Barbara, on her 78-foot Caravelle. He is pulling her in, kissing her cheek. His hand was on her backside in another frame. This follows that low-key Montreal dinner in July that almost flew under the radar.
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Where does this leave everyone?
Right, let us look at the context. Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom only finalised their split recently, with the co-parenting news coming out in July. Justin Trudeau’s marriage to Sophie Grégoire also ended last year. Both are prominent figures with busy lives who have only just become single. Sources are already saying he has been "persistent," flying to see her on tour breaks. It has the feel of something that is accelerating fast. And Perry, with that London comment, seems ready to let it.
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