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Khalifa: The Ruler review
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Filmi Score
Weak
16 reviews
39
What the critics say
Audience Score · not yet · appears once three readers have written a review
Prithviraj carries this gangster thriller with style and a strong first half, but critics agree the script turns formulaic and emotionally hollow, with weak villains and padded action dragging it down.
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16+
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Summary
Khalifa: The Ruler (2026, Malayalam) has a Filmi Score of 39 from 16 critic reviews, is rated 16+ by Filmi (CBFC: U/A 16+), and streams on Prime Video in India.
Aamir Ali, a notorious gold smuggling kingpin who inherited his multi-million dollar criminal enterprise from a lineage of gangsters, is drawn into a web of vengeance, legacy and power.
Where to watchAvailability by JustWatch · some watch links pay filmi.ai a small commission; it never changes what we show or how we score.
AMAZON VIDEORentPRIME VIDEOWatch nowNot streaming yetPRIME VIDEOWatch nowSTARZPLAYWatch nowNot streaming yet
Box office collection
₹$≈ at ₹88/$, as of 26 Oct 2026
₹45.05 CrWorldwide gross in 36 days
India gross₹24.92 Cr
Overseas gross₹20.13 Cr
As of 23 Oct 2026 · Sacnilk · still running
view →
Cast & crew
Cast
Directed by Vysakh · written by Jinu Abraham · music Jakes Bejoy & Jabir Sulaim Devathiyal
VysakhDirector
Jinu AbrahamWriter
Jakes BejoyMusic
Jabir Sulaim DevathiyalMusic
Jomon T. JohnCinematography
Chaman ChakkoEditing
Prithviraj SukumaranLead
Mohanlal
Neil Nitin Mukesh
Indrans
Shammi Thilakan
Malvika Sharma
Renji Panicker
Mohini
Sanju Sivaram
Anand Manmadhan
Shivajith Padmanabhan
Kyraa Vasudevan
Full crew
Production designMohandas · Viswanath Aravind
CostumeMashar Hamsa
ChoreographyBrinda Gopal
LyricsMuthu · Rafeeq Ahammed
ActionYannick Ben · Chetan D'Souza · Phoenix Prabhu
MakeupAmal Chandran
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Summary
Aamir Ali, a notorious gold smuggling kingpin who inherited his multi-million dollar criminal enterprise from a lineage of gangsters, is drawn into a web of vengeance, legacy and power.
Khalifa: The Ruler (2026, Malayalam) has a Filmi Score of 39 from 16 critic reviews, is rated 16+ by Filmi (CBFC: U/A 16+), and streams on Prime Video in India.
Where to watch
Availability by JustWatch · some watch links pay filmi.ai a small commission; it never changes what we show or how we score.Not streaming yet
Not streaming yet
What the critics said
16 reviews · the critic’s own number where they gave one
Five of 16 · the critic’s own number where they gave one
20 Aug 2026
Khalifa Movie Review: Corruption, Charisma and the Making of a Legend Read it there →
Published · 3.0/5
Filmi’s reading 76
60
അഞ്ജയ് ദാസ്. എൻ.ടി · 20 Aug 2026
The critic calls Khalifa a stylish, seat-edge action entertainer, praising Prithviraj's performance, the background score, editing, camerawork and… Read it there →
Derived by Filmi
72
Unni Narayanan · YouTube, Malayalam · transcript read · 20 Aug 2026
The reviewer praises Jakes Bejoy's score, styling and Prithviraj's physical effort, singles out a second-half group fight, but says the film lacks… Watch it there →
Derived by Filmi
60
Princy Alexander · 20 Aug 2026
Onmanorama calls Khalifa an uneven but entertaining mass film, led by a commanding Prithviraj and confident staging, but says its screenplay… Read it there →
Derived by Filmi
52
Nona Prince · YouTube · transcript read · 22 Aug 2026
Reviewer calls Khalifa a very average, time-pass film — watchable and well-styled with Jakes Bejoy's music as the standout, but hollow character… Watch it there →
Derived by Filmi
47
Sreeju Sudhakaran · 21 Aug 2026
Rediff says Prithviraj single-handedly carries a derivative gangster thriller undone by fangless villains, thin characters and franchise-building… Read it there →
Derived by Filmi
35
Vivek Santhosh · 20 Aug 2026
Cinema Express says Khalifa looks ambitious and is carried by Prithviraj, but calls the writing predictable, the villains weak and the supporting… Read it there →
Derived by Filmi
35
Vishal Menon · YouTube · transcript read · 20 Aug 2026
Vishal Menon finds a film of two halves: an elegantly written first half tracing Aami Ali's entry into gold smuggling, followed by an utterly… Watch it there →
Derived by Filmi
35
Arathi Kannan · 22 Aug 2026
Deccan Herald finds Khalifa's script thin, repetitive and derivative — a done-to-death revenge plot layered onto smuggling politics. Good… Read it there →
Derived by Filmi
32
Sajin Shrijith · 20 Aug 2026
‘Khalifa’ review: A mostly dull gangster drama heavily reliant on a rousing last-minute superstar cameo to revive it Read it there →
Published · 2/5
Filmi’s reading 30
40
Janani K · 20 Aug 2026
Khalifa review: Prithviraj Sukumaran walks the walk, but the story stumbles Read it there →
Published · 2/5
Filmi’s reading 30
40
Deeksha Sharma · YouTube, Hindi · rating spoken aloud · 9 Oct 2026
1.5/5, said on camera. Published nowhere. Watch it there →
Stated in video
Filmi’s reading 30
30
S. R. Praveen · 20 Aug 2026
The Hindu finds Khalifa derivative and emotionally hollow, faulting weak antagonists, lazy plotting and a repetitive score; only the smuggling… Read it there →
Derived by Filmi
28
Baradwaj Rangan ✓ Claimed · 24 Aug 2026
Rangan finds a genuinely strong multi-generational smuggling premise but says the screenplay squanders it, turning Aamir into an untouchable hero… Read it there →
Derived by Filmi
28
YouTube, Malayalam · transcript read · 20 Aug 2026
The reviewer calls the script extremely weak and the film detached from its characters, mocking its clichés and cameo padding, and closes by… Watch it there →
Derived by Filmi
18
YouTube, Telugu · rating spoken aloud · 21 Aug 2026
1.21/5, said on camera. Published nowhere. Watch it there →
Stated in video
Filmi’s reading 10
24
How this number was made. We read every review and derive a 0–100 reading from each — including where the critic printed a number, which stays first on its row, because it’s theirs. The Filmi Score is the mean of 16 readings; 5 of those rows also carry the critic’s own rating, shown beside ours. Rubric v2.1, computed 26 Oct 2026. Any critic can ask us to remove a derived reading.
PublishedStated in videoDerived by FilmiNo score
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Khalifa: The Ruler: quick answers
Box office, where to watch and what critics said — from the same data as the page.
What is Khalifa: The Ruler's box office collection?
Khalifa: The Ruler has a box office collection of ₹45.05 Cr worldwide (gross), made up of ₹24.92 Cr India gross and ₹20.13 Cr overseas gross. Figures are Sacnilk's, as of 23 Oct 2026, day 36 and still running. Grosses are contested in India, and money never feeds the Filmi Score.
How much has Khalifa: The Ruler collected at the box office?
Khalifa: The Ruler has collected ₹45.05 Cr worldwide in 36 days, as of 23 Oct 2026, according to Sacnilk.
Where can I watch Khalifa: The Ruler?
Khalifa: The Ruler is streaming on OTT: Prime Video (India and the UK), Lionsgate Play (India), ManoramaMAX (India) and AP International (India). It can also be rented or bought on Amazon Video (the US and the UK), Google Play Movies (the US) and YouTube (the US). Availability comes from JustWatch and is checked every Friday.
What did critics say about Khalifa: The Ruler?
Khalifa: The Ruler has a Filmi Score of 39 (Weak), the mean of 16 readings of critic reviews, one per review. Readings run from 10 (Poolachokka) to 76 (Times of India). Every review and how it was scored is listed below.
What readers say
The Audience Score appears once three readers’ reviews have been read under the rubric — built from what people write, never from the rating numbers.
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Khalifa: The Ruler · official trailer
Sony Music Malayalam · 16 Aug 2026 · 4 days before release
Also from the studio: · 16 Oct 2025