The makers of the upcoming Mohanlal-Lijo Jose Pellissery announced the film's title as Malaikottai Valiban. Retweeting the poster shared by Mohanlal, popular Kannada actor, and stand-up comedian Danish Sait confirmed his presence in the film. He wrote, "My 2023 begins with the legendary Mr. Mohanlal and the absolute genius LJP. Excited to start working with the whole crew."
Danish has notable role in Kannada films like Humble Politician Nograj, French Biriyani and One Cut Two Cut. Malaikottai Valiban will mark his Malayalam debut. Speculations are rife that the makers are also in talks with more non-Malayalam actors like Vidyut Jammwal, Radhika Apte, and Rajpal Yadav, but nothing has been confirmed yet.
Malaikottai Valiban, scripted by PS Rafeeque, is reportedly a period drama in which Mohanlal plays a wrestler. The team is currently busy with location scouting in Rajasthan, where most of the film will be shot. The technical crew includes veteran cinematographer Madhu Neeekandan, music director Prashanth Pillai and editor Deepu Joseph.
John & Mary Creative, Amen Movie Monastery, Century Films, and Max Lab are jointly backing the film, which will begin shooting in January, 2023.