The makers of Khalifa have announced that actor Malvika Sharma is part of the cast of the upcoming Prithviraj Sukumaran starrer. The update was made on social media alongside the tease that the film's first single titled 'Asayalavale' will be released on Monday.

Khalifa marks Malvika's Malayalam cinema debut. A lawyer based in Mumbai, she made her acting debut with the 2018 Telugu film Nela Ticket and later appeared in three more Telugu films, besides starring in the Tamil film Coffee With Kadhal.

Directed by Vysakh and written by Jinu V Abraham, Khalifa is mounted as a large-scale action thriller centred on international gold smuggling networks spanning the Middle East, London, Nepal and Kerala. Prithviraj stars as Aamir Ali, a notorious smuggler carrying forward a family legacy. The film also features Mohanlal as Mambarakkal Ahmed Ali, Aamir Ali's grandfather, with the character expected to play a key role across the planned two-part narrative. Neil Nitin Mukesh, in his Malayalam debut, is also part of the cast.

Produced as a two-part film, Khalifa is slated to release its first instalment in theatres worldwide on August 20 for the Onam festival. The technical crew includes cinematographer Jomon T John, editor Chaman Chakko, composer Jakes Bejoy and action choreographer Yannick Ben.