Blocked London tube line for Empuraan's shoot: Antony Perumbavoor on challenges of making Mollywood's most anticipated film

Just as the white Land Cruiser carrying Antony Permbavoor turned into the Ashirvad Cinemas office on Chittoor Road, Ernakulam, the clock struck 8 a.m. Last week, while Mohanlal was on a pilgrimage to Sabarimala, Antony was offering prayers at Velankanni Church.
His phone rang, echoing the high-energy theme of 'Empuraan.' It's a powerful tune that evoked the sensation of scampering up a peak from the valley. Inside the Ashirvad Cinemas office, the walls narrated the production house’s 25-year journey through Malayalam cinema, adorned with pictures that captured its milestones. In one corner, neatly stacked posters featured stills of Abram Khureshi, hinting at the studio’s most anticipated project.

Ashirvad Cinemas began its journey with Narasimham on January 26, 2000. Over the years, it has produced 35 films. While 34 of these films featured Mohanlal in the lead, the only exception was one starring his son, Pranav Mohanlal. There’s also an interesting story behind naming the production house Ashirvad. Before its launch, three names --Anugraham, Ashirvad, and Aradhana --were considered. Ultimately, it was Mohanlal who suggested Ashirvad, a name that serves as a reminder that every film’s success is rooted in the blessings of the audience.

The making of Empuraan
“In the past 13 days, I’ve been answering calls from only two people --Lal Sir and Prithviraj. There was a period of uncertainty, but now, things have come to a point like what we have written on the Empuraan poster, ‘the dawn has broken, dispelling the darkness of uncertainty.’ Over the next 10 days, we have to accomplish what usually takes a month. To bring Empuraan to theatres across the world, I have to keep running all around without a break,” Antony said, rushing up the stairs.
Inside the office on the first floor, close to Antony’s seat, a rare framed photograph captures a special moment— Mammootty, Mohanlal, and Antony together.

How do you feel about being called the producer of the most expensive Malayalam film ever made?
To be honest, 'Empuraan' has no fixed budget. There is no need to declare whether it is a  Rs 150 crore or Rs.200 crore movie. The director has assured me that the audience will understand the budget and scale of the film when they watch it and that’s how it should be.

As part of shooting Empuraan, we even managed to block a tube line in London for filming and this happened only because of Prithvi’s direct intervention. Yash Raj Films, which does VFX solely for their own productions, made an exception for us. This was the first time their team worked on an external project.

The IMAX version of the film was handled by an international team led by Chris Telman. For international screenings, my son, Ashish Antony, is managing the distribution from Dubai on behalf of Ashirvad LLC.”

Empuraan marks your third production with Prithviraj?

“When it comes to making Malayalam films on a global scale, there’s no better filmmaker than Prithviraj. Our journey together started in Hyderabad with 'Lucifer,' and we have now done three films together. Both 'Lucifer' and 'Empuraan' began production without setting a budget because we knew that was the only way to create the films we envisioned. I took this leap of faith because I had Lal Sir and Prithviraj by my side.

It was Prithviraj, who himself identified all the locations for this movie. In the U.S., Empuraan was shot in even places where no other movies had been filmed before.”

Was there some tension regarding the film’s release and production issues?

“Yes, we faced challenges, but it was Gokulam Gopalan Sir who helped us navigate through them. He guided us through the crisis, and Krishnamurthy from Gokulam Productions also stood by us. As for Laika Productions, they were our production partners. In any business, differences of opinion do arise, but they can always be resolved amicably.”

What is your word of advice for aspiring producers?

“My message to those venturing into film production producers is simple; don't just understand the movie you are making but also the people working on it. Only then can great films be made. It’s not just about the director but you need to be aware of the key crew members working in your project as well.

Earlier, audiences would step out after watching a movie and decide whether it was a success or failure. But times have changed. Today, people walk into theatres only after they are certain whether a movie is a success or not.”