Chidambaram, the director behind the Malayalam blockbuster Manjummel Boys, has firmly denied reports suggesting he is set to team up with actor Dileep on an upcoming project. The rumours, which spread across social media portals and fan pages, claimed that Chidambaram, alongside directors Sathyan Anthikad and Tharun Moorthy, was in talks with Dileep for a survival thriller. Taking to Instagram, Chidambaram shared a screenshot of one such news card and stamped it with a blunt “Fake”. In a follow-up post, he wrote, “Please verify before you post trash. And I am not a survival thriller specialist.” The filmmaker made it clear that he has no connection whatsoever with the project being discussed.
Chidambaram, who is currently working on his third feature Balan, has been riding high on the success of Manjummel Boys, the survival drama based on a real-life incident at the Guna Caves. The film emerged as one of the biggest Malayalam hits in recent years and earned him widespread critical acclaim, including major wins at the Kerala State Film Awards.
Chidambaram kept his response focused on the inaccuracy of the reports and did not address the Dileep association specifically. The rumour, however, arrives at a charged moment for the actor. In December 2025, the Ernakulam Sessions Court acquitted Dileep in the long-running 2017 actor abduction and sexual assault case, finding that the prosecution had not adequately proven the conspiracy charge after nearly nine years of proceedings. The verdict split public opinion sharply, relief in some quarters, deep unease in others. Dileep used the moment to go on the offensive, alleging that the case had been a coordinated conspiracy involving sections of the Kerala Police and media.
Barely a fortnight later, he was back on cinema screens with Bha Bha Ba, a lavish production widely read as a triumphant comeback vehicle, complete with a cameo from Mohanlal to signal his return to the industry's good graces. The film, however, did not have a smooth ride. In a scene that depicts Dileep's character as a professional kidnapper, what the makers apparently intended as a comic bit has a woman bundled into a moving car, before the punchline reveals the supposed victim to be a cow. Most viewers found the sequence deeply misjudged and distasteful, given the circumstances. Lines gesturing at revenge and media victimhood added to the discomfort. The film turned out to be commercial failure in theatres, and when it moved to OTT, the controversial sequences were quietly removed.
Dileep recently wrapped up his upcoming film with Jagan Shaji Kailas, tentatively titled D 152.