section_path: Production/Casting
section_name: Casting
paragraph_text: Casting
  
  Mohanlal reprises his role of Khureshi Ab'raam/Stephen Nedumpally. During the film's announcement, it was revealed that Prithviraj's character Zayed Masood would have more prominence in Empuraan. Prithviraj said that Zayed's role in Stephen's life is bigger than what was shown in Lucifer. Several actors from Lucifer return to reprise their roles— Tovino Thomas, Manju Warrier, Indrajith Sukumaran, Saikumar, Fazil, Baiju Santhosh, Saniya Iyappan, Sachin Khedekar, Shivaji Guruvayoor, Nandhu, Nyla Usha, and Giju John, among others. Kalabhavan Shajohn, whose character Aloshy Joseph was killed off in Lucifer, made an unannounced appearance in the trailer. Following this, he personally confirmed his presence in the film.
  
  In a December 2023 interview, Abhimanyu Singh confirmed his role as the antagonist opposite Mohanlal. Describing his character, Singh stated, "Balraj is a really complex character. He is not just one thing. There are many layers to him." Suraj Venjaramoodu portrays politician Sajanachandran. He revealed that he personally expressed his desire to be cast in the film while working with Prithviraj on the sets of Driving Licence. Karthikeya Dev, who portrayed the younger version of Prithviraj's character in Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire, was similarly cast as the younger Masood (Prithviraj). Nikhat Khan appears as Subhadra Ben, a regal woman who owns a haveli. Prithviraj revealed that at the time of casting, he was unaware she was Aamir Khan 's sister and selected her based solely on her audition. Sukant Goel plays Munna, an accomplice to Balraj in his crimes and political career.
  
  British-Romanian actress Andrea Tivadar joined the cast as Michele Menuhin, an SAS operative working for MI6 and tasked with pursuing Ab'raam. British actor Jerome Flynn was cast as Boris Oliver, a significant figure in Ab'raam's journey. French actor Eriq Ebouaney plays Kabuga, a character with negative shades. Prithviraj revealed that several foreign actors they had initially considered were unable to sign due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, "we were in limbo for a while and kept waiting, but the strike just would not end and we had to move on". As a result, the team restarted the casting process with non- SAG-AFTRA actors.
  
  There were speculations about American actor Rick Yune 's involvement, but his casting remained undisclosed until the film's release. Yune portrays Shenlong Shen, the leader of the Shen Triad, a rival syndicate to Ab'raam's Indo-Arab nexus. Similarly, Pranav Mohanlal 's role was kept under wraps, only revealed through a flashback scene in which he plays a young Stephen. The other new additions include Manikuttan, Kishore, Satyajit Sharma, Oziel Jivani, Aishwarya Ojha, Nayan Bhatt, Shubhangi Latkar, and Behzaad Khan.
  
  Mohanlal reprises his role of Khureshi Ab'raam/Stephen Nedumpally. During the film's announcement, it was revealed that Prithviraj's character Zayed Masood would have more prominence in Empuraan. Prithviraj said that Zayed's role in Stephen's life is bigger than what was shown in Lucifer. Several actors from Lucifer return to reprise their roles— Tovino Thomas, Manju Warrier, Indrajith Sukumaran, Saikumar, Fazil, Baiju Santhosh, Saniya Iyappan, Sachin Khedekar, Shivaji Guruvayoor, Nandhu, Nyla Usha, and Giju John, among others. Kalabhavan Shajohn, whose character Aloshy Joseph was killed off in Lucifer, made an unannounced appearance in the trailer. Following this, he personally confirmed his presence in the film.
  
  In a December 2023 interview, Abhimanyu Singh confirmed his role as the antagonist opposite Mohanlal. Describing his character, Singh stated, "Balraj is a really complex character. He is not just one thing. There are many layers to him." Suraj Venjaramoodu portrays politician Sajanachandran. He revealed that he personally expressed his desire to be cast in the film while working with Prithviraj on the sets of Driving Licence. Karthikeya Dev, who portrayed the younger version of Prithviraj's character in Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire, was similarly cast as the younger Masood (Prithviraj). Nikhat Khan appears as Subhadra Ben, a regal woman who owns a haveli. Prithviraj revealed that at the time of casting, he was unaware she was Aamir Khan 's sister and selected her based solely on her audition. Sukant Goel plays Munna, an accomplice to Balraj in his crimes and political career.
  
  British-Romanian actress Andrea Tivadar joined the cast as Michele Menuhin, an SAS operative working for MI6 and tasked with pursuing Ab'raam. British actor Jerome Flynn was cast as Boris Oliver, a significant figure in Ab'raam's journey. French actor Eriq Ebouaney plays Kabuga, a character with negative shades. Prithviraj revealed that several foreign actors they had initially considered were unable to sign due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, "we were in limbo for a while and kept waiting, but the strike just would not end and we had to move on". As a result, the team restarted the casting process with non- SAG-AFTRA actors.
  
  There were speculations about American actor Rick Yune 's involvement, but his casting remained undisclosed until the film's release. Yune portrays Shenlong Shen, the leader of the Shen Triad, a rival syndicate to Ab'raam's Indo-Arab nexus. Similarly, Pranav Mohanlal 's role was kept under wraps, only revealed through a flashback scene in which he plays a young Stephen. The other new additions include Manikuttan, Kishore, Satyajit Sharma, Oziel Jivani, Aishwarya Ojha, Nayan Bhatt, Shubhangi Latkar, and Behzaad Khan.