Khalifa Movie Review: Pretty much every frame in director Vysakh’s Khalifa exudes opulence. The settings are majestic and ornate, but rarely artificial. Be it Aamir Ali’s (Prithviraj Sukumaran) Mambarakkal tharavadu (ancestral home) or the empire he builds through gold smuggling, the settings are as grand as they can be. Yet, the movie starts to feel meretricious early on itself, and Vysakh never really manages to prove otherwise.A hollow spectacle, Khalifa might even make one wonder where it all went wrong, particularly since, in retrospect, it would appear that the story had pretty much all the elements for a serviceable mass entertainer. However, Jinu V Abraham’s shallow writing and Vysakh’s uninspired direction strip the film of its little potential.Cinema Anatomy | How Prithviraj and Classmates beat 4 superstars to become Onam winner, cultural phenomenonDespite being the grandson of notorious smuggler Mambarakkal Ahmed Ali — often cited as one of the people whose illegal activities prompted the government to implement the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act (COFEPOSA) — Aamir Ali has chosen a peaceful life like his father, businessman Younus Ali (Renji Panicker). However, certain setbacks to Younus push Aamir into gold smuggling, making him a rival to Harris (Neil Nitin Mukesh) and politician Raghavan (Shammi Thilakan). Although Aamir slowly grows big, he too begins facing personal losses. Once he realises that “ithu oru vazhi paadhai; thirumbi porath uyir mattum thaan (This is a one-way path; only the soul returns),” a battle for survival begins.Solid stunts, stunning visuals, but a surface-level dramaKhalifa delivers one of the most impressive, well-choreographed hero-introduction fight sequences in recent Malayalam cinema. In the streets of London, as Aamir takes on a bunch of ruthless thugs, Khalifa creates the feeling that the movie will only soar from here. And it’s impossible not to appreciate Prithviraj for executing such sharp-edged stunt moves with precision and giving them the energy they deserve, even at 43.However, Khalifa fails to capitalise on the momentum it establishes here, taking a nosedive shortly thereafter. One major reason is the lack of freshness in the events and plot points. From Aamir’s bond with his family and conversations about his marriage to scenes showing him finding the love of his life, Fiza (Malvika Sharma), and their romance blossoming, everything feels very familiar. Although billed as a family drama thriller, the movie lacks drama and thrills.Even if the ordinary moments, meant to move the story forward and build eventual drama, don’t feel fresh, they could have done their job if they had been well crafted. Unfortunately, Jinu’s writing is so dull that these scenes never quite pique interest. In fact, there are several reasons to feel that little effort went into the script, chief among them being the inconsistency in the actors’ dialects.Story continues below this ad Khalifa delivers one of the most impressive, well-choreographed hero-introduction fight sequences in recent Malayalam cinema. (Credit: Facebook/@PrithvirajSukumaran)Inconsistent writing and flat charactersDespite being set in Malabar, most characters do not adhere to the local dialect properly, aside from uttering a few stereotypical words. Worse still, while his parents and friends seem to have at least a trace of the dialect, Aamir’s is quite inconsistent, coming and going as Prithviraj feels. It is when we compare Khalifa to a film like Khalid Rahman’s Thallumaala that the importance of accurate representation becomes evident, and it might also evoke a sense of frustration towards Jinu and Vysakh in us for the little to no effort they put into sharpening this aspect.Although Vysakh inflates the visuals disproportionately, none of the scenes quite capture the intended emotions. Even the sequences showcasing Aamir’s so-called brilliance in smuggling through airports are dull and don’t even come close to the captivating moments director KV Anand created in Ayan (2009) over 17 years ago.Considering the rampant gold smuggling cases across the country, and how the names of even those with high connections crop up in them, Khalifa had quite a bit of potential. However, the makers never achieve anything substantial.ICYMI | Onam 2026 showdown: Why Prithviraj, Dulquer Salmaan and Nivin Pauly can’t afford to loseStory continues below this adVysakh’s inefficiency as a director is evident at several points in the movie, as certain shots — including a few showing Prithviraj walking with swagger — are used more than once, highlighting a lack of planning. Besides, there’s a scene where Harris and Raghavan indirectly murder one of Aamir’s couriers. Although the movie had shown her a few times before, it never gave her prominence. Suddenly, after her death, Khalifa shows Aamir recalling a heartfelt conversation with her, underscoring their closeness. But by that point, the character is dead, and this new piece of information is useless to us. Why did Vysakh not use these shots earlier, which could have helped build some drama? No clue.Similarly, when a fight is progressing at full throttle towards the end, the film immediately cuts to show the police rushing to the spot. Upon arrival, they see Aamir sitting there after having finished off his enemies, followed by a flashback of the rest of the fight. But once we know he’s won the battle, how does simply seeing the fight give us more of a thrill? Vysakh also doesn’t seem to have an answer, and he’s used this gimmick for nothing. Malvika Sharma is wasted in one of the most pointless characters in Khalifa. (Credit: Facebook/@PrithvirajSukumaran)Even though Prithviraj is as stylish as he could be throughout the film, the makers never really manage to elevate him or Aamir Ali the way they deserve. While there isn’t enough material on paper to do so, the director also fails to provide a visual uplift. Even the bonds Aamir shares with the people around him, including his best friend Samad (Sanju Sivram), aren’t well fleshed out; nor are the characters.Weak characterisations and performancesMalvika Sharma is wasted in one of the most pointless characters in the film, who exists solely for Aamir to romance and bear a boy as his heir. Aside from the fact that she has only a few lines in the entire film — possibly because of her atrocious lip-syncing, which may have led the makers to realise that they can’t afford to include more of that — Fiza doesn’t even get a proper identity. She makes sporadic appearances, much like Aamir’s mother Noorjahan (Mohini), but I doubt it would have mattered whether she was in the movie or not.Story continues below this adAlso Read | Anupama Parameswaran recalls ex partner using her menstrual cycle to dismiss confrontationsRenji Panicker’s performance, meanwhile, is comical at best, and there were several moments when his expressions, particularly helplessness, made me wonder if he was mocking us and director Vysakh for expecting too much from him. Equally disappointing is Shivajith, who plays Raghavan’s son Vinayakan. I am not being unfair, but his expressions and overall body language whenever he attempted to look like the “tough guy” made it appear as if Vinayakan suffered from constipation.While it is evident that by bringing Neil Nitin Mukesh, the makers of Khalifa aimed to emulate what Prithviraj Sukumaran did in Lucifer (2019) with Vivek Oberoi as the antagonist, the character of Harris here is far too uncharismatic and middling, let alone menacing. While Neil brought magnetic villainy to his Chirag in AR Murugadoss’ Kaththi (2014), Khalifa’s Harris has almost no aura, and the makers never quite convey why he is regarded as a significant villain, as the film claims. Even Raghavan is rather superficial, and Shammi Thilakan’s performance is, at best, serviceable.ICYMI | Rajpal Yadav claims he suffered Rs 250 crore loss in 13 years: ‘Nobody can buy me’Story continues below this ad(Spoilers ahead) The only moment Khalifa truly gives an irresistible high — an absolute adrenaline rush — is when Mohanlal makes his cameo in the epilogue as Mambarakkal Ahmed Ali, strongly reminding one of Rajinikanth’s intro in Pa Ranjith’s Kabali (2016). Although he is on screen for only a few minutes, the swagger and acting sharpness Mohanlal delivers are almost the cumulative total of what most other actors bring to the entire film.Vysakh doesn’t stop there. He includes a special appearance by Tovino Thomas, too, in the same sequence, presenting him as the villain in a potential sequel by intercutting his shots with those featuring Ahmed Ali. Not to forget that Soubin Shahir also makes a cameo alongside the Big M, but it’s honestly pointless.While there’s no denying that Mohanlal and Tovino’s appearances offer exhilaration after an unsatisfactory climax, it’s hard not to point out how disrespectful it is to exploit people’s love for these stars in this manner. By placing them in roles inconsequential to the current movie and hinting at bigger parts in a potential sequel, while failing to deliver even one solid film, the creators are essentially being unscrupulous.Much like the cameos by Karthi in Kanguva (2024), Prithviraj Sukumaran in Pallichattambi (2026), and SJ Suryah in Bha Bha Ba (2025), those by Mohanlal and Tovino Thomas in Khalifa are also futile, as they can’t save the entire train wreck in just a few minutes. Plus, the resemblances between Khalifa’s epilogue and those of Lucifer and Animal (2023) are hard to overlook.Story continues below this adMohandas’ production design steals the show, and as mentioned at the beginning of the review, no frame in Khalifa passes by without exuding opulence. Jomon T John’s cinematography is impressive at several points. While Jakes Bejoy’s songs are good, his background score feels somewhat on the nose at times. Chaman Chakko’s editing shines during the stunt sequences.Khalifa movie cast: Prithviraj Sukumaran, Malvika Sharma, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Shammi Thilakan, Sanju Sivram, Renji Panicker, IndransKhalifa movie director: VysakhKhalifa movie rating: 2 stars