Onam 2026 saw a box office clash in Kerala with Prithviraj Sukumaran-starrer Khalifa: The Ruler locking horns with Nivin Pauly-starrer Bethlehem Kudumba Unit. Among them, Bethlehem Kudumba Unit turned out to be a blockbuster, becoming the highest-grossing Malayalam film of all time, while Khalifa fell short. Although the film did well, the director seems to think his film received a lukewarm response at the box office because of the lead actor.

Khalifa failed because of hate for Prithviraj Sukumaran?

After Khalifa arrived on OTT recently, filmmaker Vysakh has been resharing posts praising the film. Similarly, he re-shared one such fan post on Instagram that read, “A film which came with huge hype, but became a box office flop ... Had this in my theatre list, but had to watch on OTT yesterday. Must say, it a classic example of utter degrading, review bombing and hatred towards Prithvi.”