The makers of Prithviraj Sukumaran's Khalifa shared the first glimpse on Thursday, as the actor celebrates his birthday. Directed by Vysakh, the film promises to be a globetrotting action thriller. The glimpse video opens with a voiceover about police and customs officials unearthing a multimillion-dollar gold smuggling racket operating out of the Middle East through networks in London, Nepal, and Kerala. Prithviraj is then introduced as Aamir Ali, a notorious gold smuggler, hunted by the Indian law enforcement agencies.
It is followed by an interrogation scene where Indrans’ character, Hamsa, gives a brief history of how the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was forced to introduce the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act (COFEPOSA) in the 1970s to curb the smuggling activities of Sukur Narayan Bakhia, Haji Mastan, Mudhaliyar, and one Mambaraykkal Ahmed Ali. While the former three are real and infamous, Mambaraykkal Ahmed Ali seems to be a fictitious character. In the film, Prithviraj plays his grandson, who takes the smuggling lineage forward.
Khalifa has a strong technical team, comprising cinematographer Jomon T John, music director Jakes Bejoy, action choreographer Yannick Ben, and editor Chaman Chakko. Their combined efforts are evident in the glimpse video, which features snippets of some thrilling chasing and raw action sequences. Vysakh, known for his action films, will be looking forward to making a strong comeback after staying low for a while. This is his second outing with Prithviraj after collaborating in his maiden directorial, Pokkiri Raja.
Khalifa is scripted by Jinu Abraham, who earlier wrote Prithviraj's films Masters, London Bridge, and Kaduva. Jinu, who also made his directorial debut with the actor's Adam Joan, is also producing Khalifa alongside Suraj Kumar. With the glimpse, the makers also confirm an Onam, 2026 release.
Prithviraj’s upcoming projects include Meghna Gulzar’s Hindi film Daayra, co-starring Kareena Kapoor Khan, and the Malayalam films Vilayath Budha by Jayan Nambiar, and i, Nobody by Nisam Basheer.