Actor-director Prithviraj Sukumaran, who is eagerly awaiting the release of L2: Empuraan, recently revealed that he drew inspiration from Superstar Rajinikanth while creating the memorable entry scene for Mohanlal’s character in his 2019 blockbuster film, Lucifer.

In one of Lucifer’s powerful early scenes, Stephen Nedumpally (Mohanlal) makes his way to pay his last respects to Kerala’s chief minister PK Ramdas (Sachin Khedekar). Despite the late leader’s daughter Priyadarshini (Manju Warrier) and the acting chief minister Mahesha Varma (Sai Kumar) instructing the police to block traffic and prevent Stephen from approaching, he steps out of his car and walks the rest of the way. The crowd parts, making way for him to pass a scene that became iconic in the political drama.

During a promotional conversation with Behindwoods ahead of the Empuraan release, Prithviraj shared that the scene was inspired by a report he once read about Rajinikanth’s encounter with authority during the tenure of then-Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.



According to the story, Rajinikanth’s car was halted by a police officer to allow the Chief Minister’s motorcade to pass. When Rajinikanth asked the officer how long the wait would be, the reply was, “Maybe, in half an hour from now, Sir.”

Rajinikanth calmly responded, “I am sure no car is so big to take half an hour. Why don’t you allow the crowd and vehicles to move until then?” The officer apologized, citing strict orders.

After waiting for a while, Rajinikanth stepped out of his car, bought a packet of cigarettes from a nearby shop, and began smoking, casually leaning against a lamppost.

Within minutes, people gathered around him, excited to see the iconic star. The growing crowd soon became unmanageable, and with the Chief Minister’s convoy approaching, the police officer hurriedly asked Rajinikanth to leave the area.

Rajinikanth’s response was calm yet powerful: “I’m waiting for her to pass. I don’t mind waiting.”

Although the authenticity of the story remains unconfirmed, its influence on one of Malayalam cinema’s most iconic moments is undeniable.

Source : timesofindia
Image Credit : Timeline Daily