'Malaikottai Vaaliban' X Review: Lijo Jose Pellissery's film gets mixed reaction, fans laud Mohanlal's performance

Malaikottai Vaaliban still

Malayalam film superstar Mohanlal's first film of the year 'Malaikottai Vaaliban' has hit the theatres today. The film has been directed by none other than Lijo Jose Pellissery who has made films like 'Jallikattu', 'Angamaly Diaries', 'Churuli', 'Amen' among others. His last outing was 'Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam' starring Mammootty. Now he has directed Mohanlal for the first time for a period drama unlike any of his previous films.

Mounted on a large scale, the film is a period drama that the makers promise to be "an unforgettable cinematic ride. 'Malaikottai Vaaliban' stars Mohanlal in the titular role along with Sonalee Kulkarni, Hareesh Peradi, Manoj Moses, Katha Nandi, Danish Sait, and Manikandan Achari. It is directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery, who also co-wrote the film with P.S. Rafeeque. It is also dubbed in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Hindi.

According to IMDb, 'Malaikottai Vaaliban' follows the life of a legendary man whose struggles and life pave the way for the next generations".

On the release day of the Mohanlal movie, netizens took to X to share their review of 'Malaikottai Vaaliban':

While not much is known about the film, Pellissery in an interview with The Hindu said, "We are telling a story. I wanted to use a very Indian terrain and the characters to be rooted in that background. But I have taken elements from around the globe, from Japanese folk culture, the Samurai culture in Japan, from Westerns and so on, but I also wanted to make sure that it had no touch of the Western influence."

Comedian Danish Sait is making his Malayalam debut with the film, and it is an interesting one for him. The trailer shows him in a different hairstyle and even a beard. Mohanlal, who is known for his discerning eye for talent, described Danish as a "fantastic actor", saying, "The way he has done this film is unbelievable. You watch the film. When Lijo and I first discussed how his character should be, I said he should be like a hyena. And he has created that hyena. He's like an animal."

"The way he transported that character is unbelievable. And what we discussed came true in the movie also. Watch the film, he's so handsome but in the film he's like an animal," he said.