Khalifa has plenty of style, action and star power, but what it lacks is the one thing a gold-smuggling thriller most needs — the ability to surprise its audience.

Directed by Vysakh, the film follows Mambarakal Aamir Ali (Prithviraj Sukumaran), who is drawn into his family's legacy of gold-smuggling business. His grandfather, Mambarakkal Ahmed Ali, was a smuggler whose activities had once worried even Mrs Gandhi, a detail already revealed in the trailer.

The premise sets up an intriguing world, but the screenplay rarely takes the story somewhere genuinely unexpected. The broad trajectory is fairly predictable, and that remains the film's biggest weakness. Yet, interestingly, Khalifa is also engaging despite its predictability.

The film spends much of its first half establishing Aamir Ali and the circumstances that eventually pull him into smuggling. His love life and family dynamics form an important part of the setup before the narrative shifts gears in the second half.

That is when Khalifa becomes more of a smuggling war between Aamir and his rivals. The film also attempts to bring in references to political developments surrounding gold smuggling in Kerala. Some of these portions are bound to make viewers wonder whether the film is drawing from a particular real-life episode.

The gold-smuggling operations themselves provide much of the intrigue. Some of the techniques may feel dated, but the mechanics of the business are among the more engaging elements in the film.

Prithviraj is undoubtedly one of Khalifa's biggest strengths. His style is almost effortlessly on point, and Aamir Ali is a character built around screen presence. Prithviraj carries that swagger well, while the action sequences give him plenty of opportunity to dominate the frame.

The action is well choreographed, and Jakes Bejoy's background score complements it effectively. The soundtrack may not rank among the composer's finest work, but it does its job. Interestingly, the music used in the trailer remains the high point of the film's musical experience; nothing that follows quite matches that impact.

Technically, the film is well executed. The cinematography and editing maintain the film's scale, while the lavish presentation of the gold-smuggling world adds to its appeal. There is a sense of luxury surrounding the characters and their operations that gives the film the larger-than-life treatment expected from a big-screen action drama.

The supporting cast also puts in solid work. Shammi Thilakan is particularly impressive, while Mohini makes a decent comeback after 15 years. Sanju Sivaram, despite having limited screen time, shows promise.

And then there is Mohanlal.

For much of the film, the audience remains in a fairly average mood. That changes the moment Lalettan's character is hinted at. When Mohanlal finally appears, he commands the screen with remarkable ease and, for a while, even steals the aura from the film's lead.

There are other surprise appearances towards the climax as well. Revealing them would take away from the experience, but they certainly generate excitement inside the theatre. Still, none of those moments quite matches the impact Mohanlal creates with his presence.

The decision to present Khalifa as the first part of a larger story works reasonably well. It serves as an introduction to the world and its characters without feeling particularly extraordinary. There is enough here to set up what comes next, even if the film never quite delivers the "wow" factor one might expect from such a setup.

That is ultimately where Khalifa falls short. Once the credits roll, there are not many scenes that stay with you. Prithviraj's stylish portrayal, the action and the surprise appearances are the moments most likely to linger, while the story itself struggles to make a lasting impression.

Still, Vysakh deserves credit for delivering a more effective outing than his previous two films, Monster and Turbo. He handles the action, scale and star presence with confidence, even though the screenplay does not always give him enough surprises to work with.

Khalifa is therefore an unusual mix: predictable, yet engaging; stylish, yet not particularly memorable. It works as a theatrical entertainer, especially when Prithviraj is in action or when the film pulls out one of its star-powered surprises. But those highs cannot completely compensate for a narrative that rarely catches its audience off guard.

For viewers looking for a stylish action film with Prithviraj in commanding form and a memorable Mohanlal appearance, Khalifa offers enough to make the trip worthwhile. Those expecting a gripping gold-smuggling thriller packed with unpredictable turns may find it less satisfying.

Verdict: Stylish, engaging and well-mounted, but too predictable to leave a lasting impression.

Rating: 3.5/5