Prithviraj slams ‘fake hate campaign’ fueling false news on L3: Azrael action scenes

Actor and filmmaker Prithviraj Sukumaran’s team has strongly refuted recent media reports suggesting that L3: Azrael—the third part of the Lucifer franchise—will feature underwater action sequences. His official team, POFFACTIO, issued a statement this week, calling the claims “completely false” and “entirely untrue”.

The clarification comes amid the ongoing promotions of Sarzameen, Prithviraj’s latest release, in which he stars alongside Kajol and Ibrahim Ali Khan. Some Malayalam entertainment channels recently claimed that Prithviraj had confirmed underwater scenes in L3: Azrael, but his team insists no such comment was ever made by the actor.

In a post shared via X (formerly Twitter), POFFACTIO called out certain media outlets for spreading what they described as fabricated information. “We express our disappointment in major channels for spreading false news claiming that Prithviraj Sukumaran made statements about the L3 movie. These reports are entirely untrue,” the team said.

They further urged media platforms to refer only to official interview clips from the Sarzameen promotional tour for verified information. “It appears this misinformation originated from a fake profile ID as part of a hate campaign,” the statement added.

Calling for greater responsibility in news coverage, the team requested, “We urge all media outlets to cross-check facts before reporting and to republish corrected news to clarify the truth to the public and Prithviraj’s well-wishers. We expect a professional approach in handling this matter. Thank you.”

The Lucifer series, directed by Prithviraj and starring Mohanlal in the lead, began with the 2019 blockbuster Lucifer. Its sequel, L2: Empuraan, was released earlier this year and received strong support from the audience. L3: Azrael is expected to wrap up the political-action trilogy, though official details regarding the film’s production timeline or plot are yet to be announced.

Prithviraj, meanwhile, remains active across multiple projects. Post-Empuraan, he appeared in the Malayalam comedy Guruvayoor Ambalanadayil and most recently in Sarzameen, which premiered on JioHotstar on 25 July 2025.