Prithviraj reveals Pranav was the perfect fit for Mohanlal’s younger look in ‘Empuraan’

Prithviraj Sukumaran revealed that the reference for Mohanlal’s younger look in ‘Empuraan’ was drawn from the 1980 film ‘Manjil Virinja Pookkal’. He explained that Pranav Mohanlal bears a striking resemblance to his father’s appearance in ‘Manjil Virinja Pookkal’, which made it unnecessary to look elsewhere for someone to play the younger version of the character.

Prithviraj shared these details during a conversation with YouTuber Nayandeep Rakshit, as part of the promotions for his film ‘Sarzameen’. He said that ‘Empuraan’ required a brief sequence showcasing the younger days of the character portrayed by Mohanlal. Instead of relying on AI or face replacement technology, the team wanted to achieve the look as naturally as possible.

According to him, Pranav Mohanlal’s resemblance to his father in his twenties was unmistakable. Anyone who has seen films like ‘Manjil Virinja Pookkal’ would notice how similar Pranav looks to Mohanlal from that era. When filming the sequence for ‘Empuraan’, the team specifically used reference images from ‘Manjil Virinja Pookkal’. Prithviraj added that the upcoming third instalment, ‘L3’, will also feature a brief glimpse of Stephen Nedumbally’s younger days, though it will not be an extended sequence.

He also spoke about the casting of Jerome Flynn and Rick Yune in ‘Empuraan’. While casting for the film, the SAG (Screen Actors Guild) strike had already begun. Many actors they had initially considered were SAG members, and with offices shut down, negotiations could not move forward. Although discussions had taken place with several other actors who were close to signing on, the strike made it impossible to proceed. This led the team to work with actors who were not bound by SAG contracts, which is how Jerome Flynn and Rick Yune came on board.