L2 Empuraan: Kantara and Vettaiyan actor Kishore in pivotal role in Mohanlal-Prithviraj film

Actor Kishore is no stranger to Malayalam film audiences. Although he’s more active in Tamil, Kannada and Telugu cinema, he’s done the occasional Malayalam film too, his last outing being the Mammootty-led Kannur Squad. Up next, he will be seen as a paranormal investigator in Vadakkan, that releases on March 7, which he follows up with a major role in Prithviraj Sukumaran’s much-awaited Lucifer sequel, L2: Empuraan.

Ahead of the film’s March 27 global release, Prithviraj has been doing character reveals of the massive ensemble cast, with the latest being that of Kishore. As Karthik, an Intelligence Bureau officer, Kishore has a “pivotal role” in the film. In a promo video about his character in the film, Kishore says that he was quite excited when he got a call to be a part of the project; not only because Lucifer is already an established brand and was a big hit, but also to work under the direction of Prithviraj.

Vadakkan trailer out: Malayalam's first paranormal film takes you to an unholy land with Kishore, Shruthy Menon and Merin Philip 

Kishore: Excited to be in L2 Empuraan; was challenging, though

“I was very excited to work with Prithviraj, so, I immediately said yes. Karthik is navigating two worlds and tries to maintain a certain decorum. It’s a very interesting and pivotal role,” says the actor, adding that it required him to speak mainly in English and Malayalam, part of which was a challenge. “I had long lines in both languages. As a Kannadiga, speaking Malayalam as though I am Malayali, was quite difficult. I had to match a certain speed and Prithviraj would often ask me to speak faster and then I would fumble. I had to rehearse a lot,” he adds.

Also read: Anamadheya Ashok Kumar movie review: Kishore and Harshil Koushik shine in whodunit mystery 

Working with an actor-director was quite interesting, says Kishore, who is making baby steps in filmmaking himself. “As far as I know, when an actor is directing, he knows the actors and their perspective well. He knows the way actors work and how it is to be in front of the camera; that actually helps. Like, for instance, if you get stuck with certain lines, emotions, expressions or movements, it becomes a lot more fluid when it is an actor directing you. That was an advantage we had in Empuraan.