Malaikottai Vaaliban

Malaikottai Vaaliban (transl. Youngster from the Mountain Fort) is a 2024 Indian Malayalam-language epic period 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.

Pellissery wrote the initial story during the COVID-19 pandemic and later expanded it to a narrative that transcends time and space. He worked with P. S. Rafeeque for the development of the script. The announcement of the film happened on 25 October 2022 by Shibu Baby John marking the first collaboration between Pellissery and Mohanlal. Tinu Pappachan served as the associate director. Principal photography spanned approximately 130 days from January to June 2023, covering locations in Rajasthan, Chennai, and Pondicherry. The music was handled by Prashant Pillai, while the editing and cinematography were handled by Deepu S. Joseph and Madhu Neelakandan respectively.

Malaikottai Vaaliban was released in theatres worldwide on 25 January 2024, coinciding with the Republic Day weekend. The film received mixed reviews from critics and praised the cinematography, art direction, production values and performances (especially that of Mohanlal), while criticism was aimed at the direction, screenplay, editing and fight sequences. It was a box office bomb.