Khalifa review: Prithviraj Sukumaran walks the walk, but the story stumbles

Prithviraj Sukumaran needs a win, and Khalifa: The Ruler arrives at just the right — or perhaps the most crucial — moment. After Vilayath Buddha and I, Nobody failed to make a mark at the box office, all eyes are now on Vysakh's action thriller to turn things around. But does Khalifa have what it takes to end Prithviraj's box-office dry spell? Let’s find out!Khalifa opens with a grand wedding, after which the bride’s brother, Samad, is detained by the police. From there, the narrative unfolds around Aamir Ali (Prithviraj Sukumaran), who has taken refuge in London. With a warrant issued against him for murder and a notorious reputation as a gold smuggler, the film explores the circumstances that led Aamir to this point.Aamir, whose family is largely based in Kerala, was once a successful textile businessman. So, what pushed him into the dangerous world of gold smuggling? What role did his family play in his descent into this world? And what price does Aamir have to pay for the choices he has made? Most importantly, can he find a way out of this vortex? The answers to these questions form the crux of the film’s story.Director Vysakh’s Khalifa, from the looks of the trailer, feels like the origin story of Aamir Ali. And the film does become one to an extent. Honestly, attempting an origin story against the backdrop of gold smuggling isn’t anything innovative. All Khalifa needed was some inventive touches peppered throughout the script to elevate the formulaic mass action entertainer. However, this is where Khalifa falls face first. Aamir Ali has an emotional reason to get into the gold smuggling business. But the reason that pushed him into it gets resolved halfway through. Now, Aamir has no reason to stay in it. If the makers' answer is that "it is too late for him to get out of it," it's hardly convincing. What's the drive for Aamir Ali? Does he want to enjoy the power? Does he want to earn money through smuggling to lead a luxurious life? You have so many questions, but the screenplay never answers them. Khalifa has a father-son arc that is its emotional core. This is probably the stretch where the film gets a bit interesting. However, the story soon moves into a larger-than-life mass actioner as swag takes over. Prithviraj Sukumaran walks and struts around in stylish outfits with Jakes Bejoy's music blaring in the speakers. And that's that! What Khalifa is missing is a villain with real menace — Neil Nitin Mukesh's Harris never rises above a rival smuggler mouthing threats. Their conflict plays out as a procedural turf war, with police, customs and the judiciary circling both men, rather than as a personal battle worth investing in. Once the film's central conflict is resolved, it has nowhere left to go: the story loops on itself for nearly two hours without any real progression.Shootouts happen, gold gets smuggled in interesting ways, corruption rears its head in several departments, and so on — Khalifa brings in all the cliches and stacks them up to stretch a convenient story across two hours and 49 minutes.Even the cameo appearances towards the end of Khalifa's first part hardly invoke any positive emotion. Jinu V Abraham's emotionless screenplay is devoid of any high moments even in its crucial stretches.Prithviraj Sukumaran's toned physique and stylish walk make Aamir Ali a good-looking character. While he sells his emotions through his expressions, the story doesn't lend the character enough gravitas to sell him to the audience. Neil Nitin Mukesh's Harris is just another antagonist who relies on issuing threats rather than using his intellect.Shammi Thilakan as father Younis Khan gives a memorable performance. His character has a well-rounded arc that makes the first half of Khalifa remotely interesting. The women in Khalifa just exist. They hardly get any dialogue in this testosterone-filled film.Khalifa: The Ruler ends with a segue to the sequel. Again, it could suffer from the same problem, as its core conflict is more about revenge for the death of a loved one than a larger cause. The sequel, if it comes, needs to amp up on all fronts — story, screenplay and performances — to leave behind this lacklustre work.- EndsPublished On: Aug 20, 2026 17:11 IST