Jaalakaari | Balti | Shane Nigam, Preethi | Unni | @SaiAbhyankkar |Santhosh T Kuruvilla| Binu George
With singles like “Kachi Sera,” “Aasa Kooda,” “Sithira Poothiri,” and “Vizhi Veezhudhu,” 21-year-old Sai Abhyankkar quickly rose to stardom on social media. Now, his very first Malayalam film song has been released — “Jaalakaari” from the Shane Nigam starrer “Balti.” The song, instantly catchy on first listen, promises to turn social media into a wave of “Jaalakaari.”
Penned by Vinayak Sasikumar, composed by Sai Abhyankar himself, and sung by Sai along with Subhlashini (who sang the hit “Monica” from Coolie), the track is already making waves. The promo video for Sai’s entry into Balti has already crossed 4 million views on social media. Now, with the first official song out, music lovers are waiting to see if “Jaalakkaari” will rewrite the hit charts. Reports also suggest that the film will feature several more songs composed by Sai.
Sai, son of celebrated singers Tippu and Harini, has already set records on YouTube — his singles “Kachi Sera” and “Aasa Kooda” alone have garnered over 200 million views. “Jaalakaari” further proves that Balti has plenty of surprises in store.Directed by Unni Sivalingam, Balti is produced under the banners of STK Frames and Binu George Alexander Productions by Santosh T. Kuruvilla and Binu George Alexander. The film is said to be the biggest budget project in Shane Nigam’s career so far, combining music, action, and a star-studded cast from both Malayalam and Tamil cinema.This marks Shane Nigam’s 25th film, while for Sai, it’s the official entry into Malayalam cinema. Meanwhile, he is also working on several high-profile Tamil projects including Lokesh Kanagaraj’s “Benz,” “Suriya 45” starring Suriya, “STR 49” with Silambarasan, the Allu Arjun–Atlee collaboration, and “Dude” starring Pradeep Ranganathan. Yet, “Jaalakaari” will always be remembered as Sai’s first ever film composition and playback performance.
The film also features Alphonse Puthren as the antagonist Soda Babu, Shanthnu Bhagyaraj as Kumar, and director-actor Selvaraghavan as Bhairavan. The promo videos and character glimpses have already been well received. The first glimpse of the film, released with a powerful kuthu track, created strong buzz across social media.
The film’s impressive technical crew and production team have caught the attention of many.
Adding to the stellar lineup is veteran cinematographer Alex J. Pulickal, whose recent work on “RDX: Robert Dony Xavier” was widely acclaimed. The film will be edited by Shivkumar V. Panicker. Sherin Rachel Santhosh is the co-producer, with Sandeep Narayan as the executive producer.
The production boasts a strong team with Kishor Purakkattiri as the production controller and Sreelaal, as the chief associate director. The associate directors include Sabarinath, Rahul Ramakrishnan, Samson Sebastian, and Melbin Mathew (post-production). The project is creatively led by Vava Nujumudeen as the creative director, with additional dialogue from T. D. Ramakrishnan.The film’s visual appeal is further enhanced by Ashik S.’s art direction.
Costumes: Melwy J, Action Choreography: Action Sandhosh & Vicky Master, Makeup: Jithesh Poyya, Sound Design and Mix by Vishnu Govind, DI: Color Planet, Stills: Sajith R M, Colourist: Srik Varier, VFX: Accel Media, Foxdot Media, Project Coordinator: Benny Kattapanna, Choreography: Anusha, Production controller: Kishor Purakkattiri, Chief associate director: Sreelal M, Associate director: Sabari Nath, Melbin, Samson Sebastian, Rahul Ramakrishnan, Moonshot Entertainments and STK Frames CFO : Jobeesh Antony, COO : Arun C Thampi, Distribution: Moonshot Entertainments Pvt. Ltd, Audio Label: Think Music, Title Designs: Rocket Science, Publicity Designs: Viyaaki, Marketing & Visual Promotions: Snakeplant LLP, PRO: Yuvraaj
