Actor Shane Nigam’s 25th film has been titled Balti, a sports action drama set against the backdrop of kabaddi. The makers unveiled the film's first-look poster and teaser, offering a glimpse of Shane as Udhayan, a kabaddi player. The teaser depicts the character being pursued by police through crowded streets, culminating in a transition to a kabaddi court scene with his teammates. Written and directed by debutant Unni Sivalingam, it was shot in both Malayalam and Tamil, with primary locations including Coimbatore, Palakkad and Pollachi.
Balti features Preethi Asrani and Shanthnu Bhagyaraj in key roles, with several national and state-level kabaddi players also part of the cast. According to the makers, the film’s soundtrack will mark the Malayalam debut of a well-known music composer, though details remain undisclosed. Its technical crew includes cinematographer Alex J Pulickal and editor Shivkumar V Panicker, known for his work in Bollywood films such as Kill, Uri: The Surgical Strike, Tumhari Sulu and Kapoor & Sons.
Balti is jointly backed by Santosh T Kuruvilla of STK Frames and Binu Alexander George under his namesake banner, with Sherin Rachel Santhosh serving as co-producer. Earlier, Santosh had announced that the film would hit theatres on August 27 as an Onam release. However, the newly released teaser confirms only an Onam release, with no specific date mentioned.