Hala Mohanlal: a four-hour Mohanlal show at Coca-Cola Arena on 2 December

Mohanlal, one of the biggest names in Malayalam cinema, will headline Hala Mohanlal at Coca-Cola Arena on Wednesday 2 December, the UAE's National Day. The ticket listing calls it the first Malayalam production of its size on the arena's stage, and the return of an arena-scale South Indian stage show to the region after about two decades.

The evening runs for about four hours and mixes live music, dance and comedy with modern stage technology and sound. Gulf News reported that Mohanlal will share memories of his career, revisit some of his best-known moments on screen and talk with fans during the show. Manju Warrier, one of the leading actresses in Malayalam film, who has worked with him in several productions, is confirmed, and further special appearances by artists from Malayalam film and television are expected.

Mohanlal, who is 66, made his acting debut in 1978 and has hundreds of credits across Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Hindi cinema, including Kireedam, Bharatham, Vanaprastham, Drishyam and Lucifer. In 2025 he received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India's highest award in cinema. The show is pitched at the UAE's large Malayali community as a National Day night out for all ages, and it lands on a public holiday weekend, when many families in Dubai have the day off.

Coca-Cola Arena at City Walk is Dubai's largest indoor arena, and it has hosted a long run of Indian concerts and comedy this year, from Sid Sriram's Sing India on 22 November to Rahat Fateh Ali Khan on 26 December.

Tickets are on sale on Platinumlist, from Dh100 up to Dh3,000 for the top category. Every guest needs their own ticket, young children included, and a ticket cannot be used again once it has been scanned. The entry code appears in the Platinumlist app 48 hours before the show. The full list of guest artists and the running order have not been announced yet.