Malaikottai Vaaliban

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.[1][2] 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.[3] The screenplay was written by P. S. Rafeeque. Pellissery retained most of the technical crew from his previous films. Tinu Pappachan was appointed as the associate director.[4] According to John, Malaikottai Vaaliban is a "complete action cinema".[5] The film credits Shibu Baby John and Achu Baby John from John & Mary Creative, Kochumon Century from Century Films, Jacob K. Babu from Maxlab Cinemas and Entertainments, and Vikram Mehra and Siddharth Anand Kumar from Yoodlee Films as producers.[6] Additionally, Amen Movie Monastery is also credited as a production company.[4]

Commenting on Mohanlal's casting, Pellisserry emphasized that, "this is a period film which demanded someone with the gravitas of Mohanlal".[6] In November 2022, the team entered into discussions with actress Radhika Apte for the lead female role, according to reports.[7] There were also reports of Vidyut Jammwal and Rajpal Yadav being considered for roles in the film.[8] In December, Kannada actor and comedian Danish Sait confirmed that he would make his Malayalam cinema debut in the film, growing a beard for his role, which contrasts with his typical clean-shaven appearance.[9] Marathi actress Sonalee Kulkarni also made her Malayalam debut with the film, describing it as a "musical period drama".[10]

In January 2023, reports suggested that the team was in talks with Tamil actors Kamal Haasan and Jiiva for two brief roles.[11] It was later reported that Haasan declined the role as he wanted to focus on his work in Indian 2.[12] Kannada actor Rishab Shetty dismissed reports about his casting, clarifying that although he was approached for a role, he turned down the role in favor of a Kannada film.[13] In the turn of events, Mohanlal himself was cast in a second role that unfolds during the film's climax, originally considered for either Haasan or Shetty.[14] Sanjana Chandran, a dancer and transwoman, secured a role in the cast and made her acting debut.[15] Hareesh Peradi, Manikandan R. Achari, and Rajeev Pillai was also cast in undisclosed roles.[16]

Jaisalmer was a major filming location.

Principal photography for the film began with a customary pooja function on 18 January 2023 in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. Madhu Neelakandan was the cinematographer.[17] The majority of the film was shot in Rajasthan.[18] The production was relocated to Pokhran, Rajasthan on 24 February for further shooting.[19] After a span of 77 days, the schedule in Rajasthan was completed by the first week of April.[20]

The second schedule was planned at Sree Gokulam Film Studios in Chennai.[20] It was charted to last 40 days.[21] The schedule began in early May, utilising sets built for the film.[22] The film used more than 1500 extras on set.[15] In addition to Chennai, filming also took place in Pondicherry. The second schedule lasted 50 days. Filming was wrapped on 13 June 2023.[23] The film in its entirety was completed in approximately 130 days shooting.[24]