In an interview promoting his film Malayankunju, Fahadh Faasil revealed how his role in Kumbalangi Nights was initially written for Dhanush. The actor turned heads with his portrayal of Shammi, a seemingly normal family man with lots of repressed rage and psychopathic tendencies seething just below the surface. Fahadh Faasil, who also acted as one of the producers on the film, went on to reveal that Malayalam cinema couldn’t afford actor Dhanush at the time.  

Kumbalangi Nights revolves around a dysfunctional family of brothers who put aside their differences when an unfortunate series of events forces them to work together. The film is directed by debutante Madhu C Narayanan with a cast that includes Shane Nigam, Anna Ben, Fahadh Faasil, and Soubin Shahir.

The film opened to widespread positive reactions in 2019 and went on to receive critical praise for its writing. National award winning writer Syam Pushkaran wrote the screenplay for the film while Shyju Khalid handled the cinematography. Fahadh Faasil’s upcoming film Malayankunju is scheduled to release on 22 July.