# Khalifa X reviews: Prithviraj film gets mixed response, Mohanlal cameo praised 2026-08-20T08:49:14+00:00 | Entertainment | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 3 independent outlets Prithviraj Sukumaran's Onam release Khalifa, directed by Vysakh, hit theatres on August 20 with mixed audience reviews on social media. The action thriller, intended as the first of a two-part series, was released solo after Dulquer Salmaan's I'm Game backed out of the Onam race. Pre-sales were lower than expected, and the makers relied heavily on social media promotion, releasing the trailer just four days before the global release. Koimoi reports the audience largely united in praising Mohanlal's well-guarded cameo, with one user calling the last 15 minutes an 'absolute riot' and another saying the tailend resembles the film Animal. However, many called the film average or disappointing. Hindustan Times reports fans called it a 'colossal disappointment', citing a cliched story, lack of emotional connection, and underwhelming background score. One user wrote it is a 'typical mass movie that offers nothing new or fresh', while another said the second half is 'good and watchable'. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Koimoi leads with the Mohanlal cameo and frames the film as an 'Onam offering' with mixed but largely positive user tweets, downplaying the many critical reviews. Hindustan Times leads with disappointment and uses strong audience quotes like 'colossal disappointment' and 'absolute crap', omitting the most enthusiastic positive tweets. A careful reader should note both sides are real: the cameo and climax received genuine cheers in theatres, but the core story and direction drew significant criticism. Pinkvilla published no actual review content beyond the headline, so its stance cannot be judged. The key number to watch is the opening weekend box office, which will show whether the cameo buzz outweighs the mixed word-of-mouth. ## Coverage Coverage: 3 sources, 1 neutral, 2 sensationalist - koimoi.com (sensationalist) Leads with 'shocking cameo' and 'banger', frames film positively despite many average reviews - pinkvilla.com (neutral report) Headline only, no review content published - hindustantimes.com (sensationalist) Leads with 'colossal disappointment', foregrounds negative tweets over mixed response This story was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above. Updated: this story now draws on 3 sources. Last updated 2026-08-20T13:26:01+00:00. Tags: Khalifa, Mohanlal, Onam, Prithviraj Sukumaran, Vysakh Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/mixed-reviews-for-prithviraj-sukumarans-onam-release-khalifa/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/mixed-reviews-for-prithviraj-sukumarans-onam-release-khalifa/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/