The first trailer for director Chidambaram’s Balan: The Boy arrived on June 5, 2026, and it signals a clear shift from the tone of his previous film, Manjummel Boys. In place of that survival drama’s male camaraderie, this is darker, more psychological material about how far a mother will go to protect her son. The film releases worldwide on June 19, 2026.
What the trailer shows
The footage keeps the plot details under wraps but makes the stakes plain. It introduces a mother and son on the run from the authorities, living under aliases such as Mary Luca and Sherly. The mother, carrying a buried trauma, is shown taking extreme measures — including picking up a rifle — to protect her son, while the unsettling presence of a grandmother hints at a darker family history.
Part of what has caught the industry’s attention is the writing. Balan: The Boy is written by Jithu Madhavan, known for the comedy-horror Romancham and the high-energy Aavesham. His move from comedy into a grounded, intense drama under Chidambaram’s direction is being seen as a notable step. The trailer also features a brief cameo from Tovino Thomas.
The craft behind it
The trailer’s look helps explain why the film earned a buzzed market screening at the Marché du Film during the Cannes Film Festival. Cinematographer Shyju Khalid gives it a misty, claustrophobic texture, while composer Sushin Shyam — reuniting with Chidambaram — supplies a low, tense score. Vivek Harshan handles the editing and Ajayan Chalissery the production design.
Produced by Venkat K. Narayana’s KVN Productions and Shailaja Desai Fenn’s Thespian Films, the film carries strong momentum into its multilingual release. The audio rights have gone to Zee Music Company, and the film opens across Malayalam, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada on June 19.
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