Balti Review: Shane Nigam’s Fiery Kabaddi Saga Of Friendship, Rage, & Survival

Director Unni Sivalingam’s Balti, the 25th film of Shane Nigam, arrives as a raw, heavy-hitting sports action drama that fuses kabaddi, friendship, and revenge into one intense narrative.

Shot simultaneously in Malayalam and Tamil, the film carries the earthy grit of border-town life and the pulse of a dappamkoothu beat that refuses to slow down.

Spoiler Alert: 

The film opens with a Tamil narration, setting the mood straight away. In Palakkad’s Velan Palayam, children fundraising during a local festival are demeaned by a powerful jenmi, sparking a chain of rage and rebellion.

From here, we are pulled into the world of Udhayan (Shane Nigam) and his band of local men—rough, goon-like figures who stand up for the poor yet get dragged into endless cycles of violence.

The core of the film is Udhayan’s Kabaddi team, Panchami Riders, with Kumar (Shanthanu Bhagyaraj), Ramesh (Shiva Hariharan), Mani (Jeckson Johnson), and others forming a tight-knit bond.

Shane Nigam, playing the local kabaddi star nicknamed Balti star, oozes screen presence—his mannerisms, raw energy, and rugged body language make Udhayan instantly believable.

The narrative takes a little while to fully get on track, and the Malayalam dubbing and dialogues occasionally felt mismatched, slightly affecting the immersion.

Read Also: Mirage Review: A Weak Thriller Where Jeethu Joseph’s Twists Turn Into Traps

The sports sequences are shot with punchy background scores by Sai Abhyankkar, whose debut effort in Mollyood is impressive and elevates nearly every major moment.

Kabaddi here isn’t just a sport; it’s a metaphor for loyalty, betrayal, and survival. Matches often erupt into full-blown fights, choreographed with unflinching intensity by Action Sandhosh and Vicky.

The street fights are equally gripping—long, bruising, and chaotic, yet never hollow, each brawl fueled by friendship, betrayal, or survival. Together, the sports and action scenes become the heartbeat of the film.

The villains in Balti come not from political backdrops but from the murky world of illegal finance companies. Selvaraghavan, the popular filmmaker, shines as Bhairavan, the ruthless Porthamarai financier whose cruelty knows no bounds, stripping a father in front of his child, unleashing henchmen to terrorise families, and pulling the strings of local youth like puppets. His brother captains a rival kabaddi team, intensifying the personal stakes on and off the field.

Meanwhile, Alphonse Puthren plays Soda Babu, a moneylender who exploits students, while Poornima Indrajith as G-maa adds an unexpected twist—a female financier with her own manipulative designs.

Read Also: Vala Review: Director Muhashin’s Bangle Story Balances Potential With Uneven Execution

This triangular tug-of-war between Bhairavan, Soda Babu, and G-maa drags Udhayan and his friends deeper into chaos.

The lighter side of Balti comes through Udhayan’s romance with Kaveri (Preethi Asrani), a florist. Their love blossoms most memorably in the “Jaalakari” song, which is sure to trend with its Tamil Nadu-style vibrancy. Music throughout the film is a consistent high point—whether in fights, festivals, or romances, the BGM adds grit and swagger.

Cinematography by Alex J. Pulickal brings a raw, dusty texture to the Tamil-Malayalam border setting, while Shivkumar V. Panicker’s editing keeps the 151-minute runtime tight despite the many subplots.

While the story thread is familiar—illegal financiers, youth caught in traps, betrayal, revenge—what stands out is the emotional weight of friendship.

Shane Nigam shoulders the film with a performance that is equal parts physical and emotional. Selvaraghavan is the film’s towering antagonist, and his performance lingers long after the credits roll. Poornima as G-Maa represents a different shade of power—a woman in a man’s world of finance, unafraid to manipulate and deceive to secure her dominance.

Shanthanu beautifully captures the attention of the viewers, while Shiva and Jackson bring raw authenticity to the gang, and Alphonse Puthren adds eccentric unpredictability to the mix.

The final act spirals into violent chaos: betrayals, misunderstandings, and the brutal death of Udhayan’s friends push him to a breaking point. The climax, where Udhayan kills Bhairavan in the same humiliating manner that Bhairavan used on the poor lands with symbolic power, even if the ending feels abrupt, with Kumar taking a darker route and Udhayan facing the police.

Balti is an old tale repackaged with raw energy, strong performances, and thumping music. Its strength lies in its action choreography, emotional undercurrents of friendship, and Shane Nigam’s magnetic presence.

Timeline Verdict:  Rather than the familiarity of its story, the fight sequences and music make Balti truly worth watching.

Cast and Crew

Cast

• Shane Nigam

• Shanthanu Bhagyaraj

• Preethi Asrani

• Alphonse Puthren

• Selvaraghavan

• Shiva Hariharan

• Jackson Johnson

• Poornima Indrajith

Crew

• Director: Unni Sivalingam

• Writer: Unni Sivalingam

• Producers: Santhosh T. Kuruvilla, Binu George Alexander

• Cinematography: Alex J. Pulickal

• Editing: Shivkumar V. Panicker

• Music: Sai Abhyankkar