When Balti hit theaters on 26 September 2025, it did so with great expectations. It’s Shane Nigam’s 25th leading film as an actor, under rookie Unni Sivalingam’s direction, and the movie attempts a crossbreeding of kabaddi (sports) with gangster crime drama. The Malayalam & Tamil bilingual film weaves friendships, betrayal, street politics, and sports passion.
The Jagran review states that the first half has met with good audience reactions, specifically praising the commercial credentials, the blocks of action, and the background score. “Netizens appreciated the commercial credentials of the film. The Kabaddi scenes and the blocks of actions have done well,” according to the review. But like most of its high-stakes peers, the challenge is the second half—will Balti hold its momentum or will it crash into narrative pitfalls?
What Works: Strengths & Highlights
Strong Technical Backbone & Music
One of its high points is the score by Sai Abhyankkar. Several observers note that while the screenplay falters here and there, the music lifts scenes up, especially those that involve action and kabaddi. Writing for Indian Express, the reviewer remarks: “Sai Abhayankar … creates memorable motifs and themes for the leads … music that maintains momentum and rhythm.” His background score is an anchor when the coherence of the plot falters.
Cinematography by Alex J. Pulickal and editing by Shivkumar V. Panicker are able. Action scenes are often shot with minimal cuts and longer shots, such that the viewer gets the feel of fighting and struggling. Special praise goes for the first half for its vitality, world construction, and introduction of characters with panache.
Performances & Ensemble Cast
Shane Nigam as Udhayan adds grittiness and rawness. He is normally steady in front of the camera, anchoring the film’s emotional hold. The chemistry between him and Shanthanu Bhagyaraj as Kumar contributes tense energy. Some reviews criticize chemistry and friction between friends-turned-rivals.
Selvaraghavan, as a negative character of Bhairavan, is observed bringing threat to the film—insulting debt defaulters and inviting authority by being sinister. The allure is observed within his vicious vibes balancing the stakes. Alphonse Puthren, Preethi Asrani, and Poornima Indrajith play their roles as secondary characters but the range provided to feminine characters (despite Asrani) is limited.
Effective First Half & World Building
The initial Balti act is compelling. It sets up protagonists—border-region kabaddi players—sets out their goals, their friendship, and political life’s requirements. The sports/rural/mafia combo works at first. These transitions from pure sport to organized crime feel natural early on such that the stakes seem realistic.
The Balti world—the frontier towns, debt traps, money lenders, local power dynamics—feels realistic and earthy. Some viewers have noted that the places, dialects, local specificity evoke the immersive feel of the film.
Weaknesses & Limitations
Narrative Predictability & Thin Plot
A usual complaint is that Balti leans too heavily on typical tropes. The latter part ventures less—betrayals, shifting allegiances, stealthy snitches—that feel telegraphed rather than surprising. The Indian Express review writes:
“This Shane Nigam-starrer is plenty of fun as an actioner but not that much as a sports drama … the film is reliant on thundering score to keep the fun quotient high.”
Other reviewers note that every episode seems predetermined, providing less leeway for suspense or emotional knockout. The drama shifts attention from sport to gang conflicts, a theme that may intimidate viewers who have placed their hopes for a fair sports drama.
Imbalance Between Action & Emotion
While fight blocks and action sequences are fine, sometimes the emotional beats feel shallow. Betrayal motivations or character internal conflict aren’t always fully fleshed out. Some reunions’ or sad beats feel perfunctory. The stakes are high on the surface but thinner on emotional investment than they need to be.
Female Characters Underutilized
Preethi Asrani’s role of the feminine leading character has very little agency. While she’s necessary for the love interest wiring, the character doesn’t have the narrative fortitude of the male narrative strands. The focus remains extremely heavily biased towards the males.
Climax & Pacing Issues
The climax feels rushed in certain critiques, with too many strands tied up too soon without sufficient development. The film backs off its bold strands to end on action as the overriding impetus. Key uplifting scenes feel flat because the script did not develop them adequately. Some of the energy of the second half disappears at certain spots.
Verdict & Watchability
Balti is far from ideal but provides value, if you’re the kind who will enjoy gritty action drama. If you go in thinking you’re getting a sports picture pure and simple, you will walk out thinking you could’ve gotten something else. If you’ve come for action, friendship, grittiness, and good technical craft, then Balti earns its spot as a good release of 2025.