Prithviraj has been in a rough phase as of late, with his recent releases being subpar. After his previous venture in I, Nobody, which released last month, he returns with the highly anticipated Khalifa: The Ruler, where he is said to be playing a gold smuggler. A film which is slated to have a sequel with Mohanlal in the lead and with the superstar doing a cameo in the first part, hype is high, despite facing clashes from Bethlehem Kudumba Unit, I’m Game and Toxic. Helmed by Vysakh and supported by a formidable unit, with Jakes Bejoy handling the music, Chaman Chakko doing the editing, and Jomon T. John operating the camera units, how does this film fare?
The story follows Aamir Ali (Prithviraj Sukumaran), whose circumstances force him into a gold smuggling racket. The film shows how it takes a toll on Aamir’s life and how he handles the predicament.
Khalifa: The Ruler was a film that was always marketed and promoted as a mass-action entertainer. The story is very standard and follows the template of a standard commercial film in Malayalam, but on a slightly bigger scale. The film wastes no time in getting us into the world of Aamir Ali. The first half is a breeze, with a racy screenplay laced with whistle-worthy moments and well-executed action blocks. This sets up for a highly anticipated second half. Unfortunately, the second half is where the film falters with inconsistent writing and a lot of loopholes which makes the audience lose interest in the film.
Vysakh, who delivered blockbusters like Pokkiri Raja and Pulimurugan, seems to have lost his storytelling touch, especially in a genre where he has excelled before. This outing, while it manages to use the screen presence and physique of Prithviraj effectively, its outdated approach makes it feel like a film from possibly two decades ago. Some of the mass scenes, which are meant to be whistle-worthy moments, also feel like an Instagram edit.
Prithviraj shines with another committed performance as Aamir Ali. His style and aura shine throughout the film, and he does well even in emotional beats. Neil Nitin Mukesh’s Harris is poorly written and a weak villain. He hardly has much to do in the film and suffers from poor lip-sync. Shammi Thilakan pulls off the shrewd, cunning Raghavan convincingly. Mohanlal has a whistle-worthy cameo which could make viewers hope the second part, which delves into the life of Mambarakkar Ahmed Ali, can do justice to this dilogy.
Technically, the film is a mixed bag. Jakes Bejoy succeeds for the most part, but in some areas, his background score feels underwhelming. Chaman Chakko’s editing is also not the best for the high standards he has set. The mass scenes in some places largely feel like an Instagram edit used for a compilation and do not give the same adrenaline rush that a mass scene generally has.
Overall, Khalifa: The Ruler places itself as a commercial entertainer which attempts to follow the standard template of a mass masala film but falters mainly in the screenplay due to inconsistent writing, especially in the second half, making it a draggy experience which is slightly redeemed by Prithviraj’s performance and Jakes’ BGM.
Rating: 2.25/5
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