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Mohanlal comments on Malaikottai Vaaliban’s failure, admits miscalculations led to final version that deviated from LJP’s original vision: ‘Why two parts?’

Mohanlal recently admitted that miscalculations during Malaikottai Vaaliban's production led to a final version that deviated significantly from Lijo Jose Pellissery’s original vision.

Malaikottai Vaaliban marked filmmaker Lijo Jose Pellissery’s first collaboration with Malayalam superstar Mohanlal. (Credit: Facebook/@lijojosepellissery)

Before actor Prithviraj Sukumaran’s third directorial venture L2: Empuraan, the most eagerly awaited Malayalam film in recent times was Lijo Jose Pellissery’s Malaikottai Vaaliban (2024), headlined by Mohanlal himself. Since Lijo had just delivered a series of critically acclaimed films — including the Mammootty-starrer Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam (2023) — Malaikottai Vaaliban generated immense buzz from the outset, particularly since it marked his first collaboration with Mohanlal. The film’s early promotional material further fuelled excitement, mainly because it suggested that Mohanlal was stepping into a role unlike anything he had done before. However, despite its uniqueness and Mohanlal’s never-seen-before avatar, Malaikottai Vaaliban failed to impress audiences upon release and ultimately became a box office bomb.

Recently, Mohanlal himself addressed the film’s unexpected and disappointing failure. He admitted that miscalculations during production led to a final version that deviated significantly from Lijo’s original vision. He also noted that the decision to expand the film’s world to accommodate a potential sequel backfired.

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“The failure doesn’t bother me. It happened,” he said during a chat with Galatta Plus. Using the Lucifer trilogy as a comparison, he explained that from the beginning, its makers had structured it as a three-part franchise, ensuring a cohesive narrative. In contrast, he said, Malaikottai Vaaliban did not start out with a sequel in mind and the decision to leave room for one was made mid-production.

“For Empuraan, they created a universe. They were prepared and knew the story and that it was a three-chapter film. They knew the characters and planned accordingly. But with Malaikottai Vaaliban, when the story was narrated, it was amazing. However, during the shooting process, it started growing and eventually slipped out of the hands. Now, they say they will make it in two parts — why? You make one film and if it’s a success (then think of a sequel). But then, the length of the film changed and so did its concept. Thus, the entire project capsised,” he observed.

Watch Malaikottai Vaaliban trailer here:

Mohanlal continued: “I wouldn’t call it a mistake, but rather a miscalculation. The film was shot in a different style; that’s his (Lijo) way of filmmaking. And certain films might need his pace. But audiences couldn’t connect with the pace of Malaikottai Vaaliban.”

Penned by PS Rafeeque, Malaikottai Vaaliban featured Sonalee Kulkarni, Hareesh Peradi, Danish Sait, Manoj Moses, Katha Nandi and Manikandan R Achari in key roles. The epic period action drama was produced jointly by John & Mary Creative, Century Films, Maxlab Cinemas and Entertainments, Saregama and Amen Movie Monastery.

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