Earlier this Thursday, coinciding with Neil Nitin Mukesh's birthday, the makers of the two-part film Khalifa announced that the actor is making his Malayalam debut with the film, starring Prithviraj Sukumaran in the lead role. Sharing a poster with Neil's character in the film, Prithviraj wished him on his birthday and welcomed him to Malayalam cinema. Neil said that he is proud of making his entry to Malayalam with the film. As reported earlier, the film is directed by Vysakh from a screenplay by Jinu V Abhraham, and Mohanlal is also appearing in its first part in a cameo role. Mohanlal's character Mambarakkal Ahmed Ali will have more prominence in the second part, which will also feature Prithviraj.
Khalifa stars Prithviraj as a gold smuggler named Aamir Ali, who carries on the family business, following in on his grandfather's footsteps. The makers are yet to reveal the specifics of Neil Nitin Mukesh's role in the film. That said, the actor wrote, "Going for Gold!!!" as the caption for the announcement of his casting in the film, and his character wears a golden colour outfit, suggesting that he is part of the business as well. "Vengeance will be written in gold," reads the tagline for Khalifa.
The film, which writer Jinu is also producing alongside Suraj Kumar, reunites Prithviraj with Vysakh after their collaboration on Pokkiriraja and Mohanlal with the director after Pulimurugan and Monster. It also brings Prithviraj back together with writer Jinu after Masters, London Bridge, and Kaduva. Sijo Sebastian serves as a co-producer on the film.
Its technical team includes cinematographer Jomon T John, composer Jakes Bejoy, editor Chaman Chakko, and stunt director Yannick Ben. The first part of the film is slated for an Onam 2026 release.