Malaikottai Vaaliban

Malaikottai Vaaliban (2024)

മലൈക്കോട്ടൈ വാലിബന്‍

Malaikottai Vaaliban, an uncontested warrior proves himself to be a reigning hero across time and geographies, defeating every opponent he encounters. As Vaaliban continues his victorious journey along with his aids Chinnappaiyyan & Ayyanar meets Rangapattinam Rangarani, an ethereal dancer at a betting parlour in Nooraanathalayur. This is the moment that also invites Chamathakan, a villainous presence who will shadow Vaaliban through the rest of his journey. This group then proceed on journey with many twists and turns that leads Vaaliban to his ultimate challenge.

Date of release
2024-01-25
TMDB
6.2 / 10 (21)
Runtime
2h 34m
Genres
Action, Drama, Fantasy
Director
Lijo Jose Pellissery

Casting

Interesting facts

Malaikottai Vaaliban is a 2024 Indian Malayalam-language epic period fantasy action drama film directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery and written by P. S. Rafeeque from a story by Pellissery. The film stars Mohanlal in a dual role, alongside Sonalee Kulkarni, Hareesh Peradi, Danish Sait, Manoj Moses, Katha Nandi and Manikandan R. Achari in supporting roles. It was jointly produced by John & Mary Creative, Century Films, Maxlab Cinemas and Entertainments, Saregama and Amen Movie Monastery.

Production

On 25 October 2022, John & Mary Creative, the newly launched production house of former minister Shibu Baby John, announced their debut film which brought together director Lijo Jose Pellissery and actor Mohanlal for the first time. The title was announced on 22 December. At that time, media reported that the film is a period drama in which Mohanlal portrays the role of a wrestler. The screenplay was written by P. S. Rafeeque.

Pellissery conceived the initial story during the COVID-19 lockdown and later expanded it into a narrative that blurs time and space. He collaborated with Rafeeque to develop the screenplay. Pellissery chose him for his belief that Rafeeque could contribute to a language and vocabulary "rooted in the soil". The film was originally planned in Tamil.

According to John, Malaikottai Vaaliban is a "complete action cinema". Mohanlal stated that the film is crafted in the style of a Western film, and the storyline is not confined to any specific time period. The narrative unfolds in its own world, transcending space and time, blending philosophical and spiritual elements.

Commenting on Mohanlal's casting, Pellisserry emphasized that, "this is a period film which demanded someone with the gravitas of Mohanlal". Describing the character, Mohanlal said that there is an anonymity surrounding Vaaliban, as he can be anyone and possess any ability. In November 2022, the team entered into discussions with actress Radhika Apte for the lead female role, according to reports.

Marathi actress Sonalee Kulkarni also made her Malayalam debut with the film, describing it as a "musical period drama". She plays Rangapattinam Rangarani, an actress and dancer. Pellissery discovered Kulkarni from a Marathi film, Natarang (2010), where she played a lavani dancer, which she performs in Malaikottai Vaaliban as well.

Read on Wikipedia · Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Data from Wikidata.

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