With Balan: The Boy gearing up for its June 19 release, Manjummel Boys director Chidambaram has shared fresh details about the film's cast, along with revealing why he chose Tovino Thomas for a pivotal role and how Premalu filmmaker Girish AD came to be part of the project.
Speaking to MediaOne during the film's promotional campaign, Chidambaram stressed on the fact that Tovino was cast purely for his abilities as an actor rather than his star image. "We didn't cast Tovino in this film to make use of his stardom or anything like that. We approached him as an actor," Chidambaram said. The director added that the collaboration had been mutually rewarding. "Tovino is very happy to have been part of our film, and we're equally happy that he joined us," he said.
Teasing the actor's role in the psychological thriller, Chidambaram suggested that audiences would get to see Tovino in a completely different light. "Tovino's character is a very interesting one. I believe it's a type of role he hasn't done before. I think audiences are going to see a Tovino they haven't seen until now," he said. According to the filmmaker, Tovino was always the first and only choice for the part. "He was our first choice from the beginning. There were no other options. We knew this role would work well if Tovino played it," Chidambaram added.
The director also opened up about the casting of filmmaker Girish AD, best known for directing Malayalam hits such as Thanneer Mathan Dinangal, Super Sharanya and Premalu. In Balan: The Boy, Girish appears as a police officer. Chidambaram shared that the idea of casting Girish came from his brother and actor Ganapathi, who also serves as the film's casting director. "That was Ganapathi's discovery," Chidambaram said. "He showed me one of Girish's short films. When I watched it, I felt there was something distinctive about his acting. The way he performed and delivered dialogues felt unique."
The filmmaker explained that he wanted a police character who would stand apart from familiar on-screen portrayals. "In real life, there are all kinds of police officers. Not all of them fit the same mould. Some are academically inclined, some have very different personalities. I wanted to show a police officer who felt a little different, and that's how we arrived at Girish," he said.
Written by Aavesham director Jithu Madhavan, Balan: The Boy follows a mother and son on the run while exploring themes of identity, survival and the bond between a parent and child. The film was recently screened at the Marché du Film section of the Cannes Film Festival 2026, where it received a positive response. The film has music by Sushin Shyam, cinematography by Shyju Khalid, editing by Vivek Harshan and production design by Ajayan Chalissery. It is produced by Venkat K Narayana under KVN Productions and Shailaja Desai Fenn under Thespian Films.
