Khalifa director Vysakh shares fan post blaming hate for Prithviraj for flop

Director Vysakh has put Khalifa back in the conversation. He shared a fan's Instagram post that blames the box-office failure of the Prithviraj Sukumaran film on review bombing and hatred towards its lead actor. He reposted it on his Instagram Story after the film started streaming.

Khalifa opened in theatres for Onam on strong pre-release buzz but fell short of expectations. Its main rival that season was Bethlehem Kudumba Unit, and the fan accepted that clash as one factor. Even so, the viewer argued that the film would have done differently with any other actor in the lead.

The writer said they had planned to see it in a theatre but ended up watching it on OTT. They praised the music, editing, direction and plot twists. They admitted the treatment felt a little old school, but said mainstream cinema needs big mass entertainers next to realistic films. The post closed by saying they felt sorry that Vysakh's hard work had not paid off.

Not everyone online agreed. Several users on X and Reddit replied that the film simply did not work. One said the director should focus on better script choices. Another named the direction and editing as its weakest parts, while adding that Prithviraj himself was good in it.