Khalifa Review: Prithviraj Sukumaran's Gangster Drama Falls Flat Despite His Swagger

Malayalam star Prithviraj Sukumaran has been experimenting with his recent films but with director Vysakh's Khalifa he is back in familiar territory. Written by Jinu V Abraham, this movie is a gangster drama where we see Prithviraj and Mohanlal reunite on screen after their extremely successful Lucifer franchise.

In every gangster film, the hero is larger-than-life and when he walks into a room, his presence and aura are unmistakable. Khalifa has numerous such moments where the hero's stylish entry is elevated by the background music and you know he means business. There are many such moments in Khalifa where we see Prithviraj Sukumaran's swagger and charisma but unfortunately, the story doesn't support his star power.

Set in a small town in Kerala, we see Aamir Ali (Prithviraj Sukumaran) running a men's fashion store, while his father Younus Ali (Renji Panicker) is a government contractor who's desperately trying to get his dues cleared for the work he has completed. Aamir Ali's grandfather was the big don Ahmed Ali but Younus, his father, chose to move away from a life of crime and lead an honest one till the day he dies. Aamir is far removed from all this and lives a happy-go-lucky life but one day circumstances suddenly change, dragging him into the family's criminal legacy.

When his father is accused of smuggling gold into Kerala and thrown into jail, Aamir is at a loss on how to rescue him. Given that he's very close to his family and is unable to bear the injustice he sees, he realises that the only way he can save and protect his loved ones is to jump into a life of crime. So, what does Aamir Ali do to save his family?

Director Vysakh uses the first half of the film to set up the characters, including the villains, while charting Aamir Ali's descent into the world of crime. However, a lot of time is spent on trying to establish this. The first half gets tedious as it's unnecessarily stretched out with numerous action sequences and car chases that take up a lot of screen time and don't add much to the narrative. And when you get to the second half, the predictable story moves to Aamir's new identity and the familiar gangster template involving high-octane action sequences. But it is Mohanlal's cameo in the second half that provides the much-needed boost for Khalifa though it's a tad too late for the film itself. It is the writing by Jinu V Abraham that's a complete let-down in this stale gangster template that involves gold smuggling and the nexus between politicians, officials and the criminals.

Family honour, revenge, betrayal and a criminal gang are all there in Khalifa but none of these familiar tropes are exciting or have any emotional depth. The oft-repeated theme of how the system lets down an honest man and how his son seeks justice for him is not novel and neither has it been treated with novelty which is quite surprising given the star cast. Coming to its villains, the characters are poorly written - they are just not menacing enough to create a major conflict.

The music and BGM by Jakes Bejoy are a plus point for this movie which doesn't have too much going for it in terms of story. The cinematography by Jomon T. John ensures the visuals (especially the international portions) are slick in this gangster drama.

However, if there is one man who is holding Khalifa together, it is Prithviraj Sukumaran. He is at ease in this role, which he has played numerous times on screen, and his swagger, style and performance make the film watchable. The cameo by Mohanlal is a major highlight in this movie but is it enough to really lift the film to what it could have been? Sadly, no.
As a standalone cinematic experience, Khalifa is disappointing.

Prithviraj Sukumaran owns the screen but Khalifa never quite owns its story.