Following the terrible failures of Vilayath Buddha and I Nobody, actor Prithviraj returned with the film Khalifa: The Ruler directed by Vysakh, which was released in theatres yesterday (August 20).
Even though Prithviraj has emerged as a huge Pan-Indian actor and is now also starring as the antagonist in S S Rajamouli’s ambitious project Varanasi, he hasn’t been able to deliver a solo hit for the last few years.
Since his last two films, Vilayath Buddha and I Nobody, ended up as terrible failures, his fans believed that at least Khalifa: The Ruler would emerge as a successful venture and bring some relief to the actor.
But unfortunately, Khalifa also ended up as a terrible disappointment. Many viewers, after watching it, shared negative responses claiming that the story was very weak and that it was just an average, mediocre film.
Ever since the announcement of Khalifa was made, the makers have promoted that Khalifa is a two-part story and the first part, which is Khalifa: The Ruler, would have a proper ending with a lead-in to the sequel. Also, they announced that after the release of Khalifa, the team would start shooting the second part, which will feature Mohanlal in a prominent role.
However, because Khalifa is receiving terrible reviews from the audience, many people believed that the makers would put the idea of doing a sequel on hold. But surprisingly, the makers of Khalifa officially announced the sequel with a first look poster featuring Mohanlal and Prithviraj through a grand launch event yesterday evening and confirmed that the shooting for the film will begin soon. Khalifa’s sequel is titled Khalifa: The Legacy.
In response to the sequel announcement, many trackers on social media are suggesting that it seems like a promotional strategy. They suggest that due to negative responses, Khalifa is struggling to sustain itself in theatres and because of this, the makers immediately launched the sequel just to increase curiosity among the audience to watch Khalifa.
Also, they feel that the makers are fooling the audience and pointing to current trends, suggesting that since Khalifa itself is on the verge of ending up as a terrible loss, the makers will not waste their money making a sequel to a failed project.
Meanwhile, some people feel that even if the makers were stubborn in their decision to make the sequel irrespective of the results of Khalifa, they should have waited a few more days. This is because many people have not yet watched the first part and since the sequel’s first look poster features Mohanlal, it ended up being a huge spoiler. They note that people who have not watched the film have now predicted Mohanlal’s cameo, so the cameo in Khalifa might not create an impact for them.
Nevertheless, the makers of Khalifa have officially announced the sequel and it remains to be seen whether Khalifa: The Legacy will really happen and if it does, how it will take shape in the future.
