Manjummel Boys-fame director Chidambaram's Balan: The Boy, is finally set to premiere on OTT more than a month after its theatrical release. The film, which was earlier featured at Marche du Film section of the Cannes Film Festival 2026, is backed by KVN Productions and Thespian Films.
Balan: The Boy hit theatres on June 19 and opened to largely positive reviews. The film stars Adhisheshan KR, Farzana Palathingal and Muhammad Zinaan, alongside Jean Paul Lal, Girish AD and Tovino Thomas in supporting roles.
Balan: The Boy is all set to premiere on ZEE5 on July 31. The film tells the story of a teenage boy's quest to reunite with his missing mother, forcing him to revisit a turbulent childhood as he uncovers long-buried truths about his past.
Chidambaram has written the script for Balan: The Boy along with Jithu Madhavan, the director of Romancham (2022) and Aavesham (2024). Sushin Shyam is the music composer, continuing his collaboration with Chidambaram after Manjummel Boys (2024). The crew of Balan: The Boy includes Shyju Khalid as the cinematographer, Vivek Harshan as the editor, Ajayan Chalissery as the production designer.
An excerpt from CE's review of the film reads, "Balan is an unusual ode to motherhood. The mother at its centre is nothing like the women we are accustomed to seeing in our cinema — she is neither an all-giving angel nor a noble soul overflowing with love and compassion. Instead, she is grim, reticent, wily and manipulative. Yet, she remains a remarkable mother on her own terms, and that is perhaps her only real identity."
Venkat K Narayana produces Balan: The Boy under his KVN Productions banner, along with Shailaja Desai Fenn, who has backed it under her Thespian Films banner. At the box office the film has reportedly earned Rs 18.85 crore in 28 days in India, with its worldwide gross nearing Rs 33 crore.