Two years after Manjummel Boys became the highest-grossing Malayalam film ever, director Chidambaram came back with something quieter and stranger. This balan 2026 Malayalam movie review looks at Balan: The Boy, the survival thriller that hit theatres on 19 June 2026, and the short version is this: the first half is some of the best filmmaking you’ll see this year, and the second half throws a lot of that goodwill away. It’s a film I admired more than I loved, and I think a lot of you will feel the same.
The setup: a mother, a son, and a past they’re running from
The story opens on a boy stepping into the outside world with his mother, right after she finishes a prison sentence. They’ve got no money, no home, and no one to fall back on. So they keep moving, drifting through towns and villages while staying one step ahead of whatever they left behind. Jithu Madhavan (of Romancham and Aavesham) wrote the script, and he builds the mystery slowly. You spend the first hour piecing together who these two people really are and why fate keeps kicking them.
Chidambaram shot it across Wayanad and Mangaluru, and the runtime lands at 147 minutes. On paper it’s a small film, reportedly made on a modest budget. In practice it wants to be a big emotional statement about motherhood, guilt, and belonging.
Why the first half in this balan 2026 Malayalam movie review is the real reason to watch
I’ll be blunt. The interval block here is among the finest I’ve seen in a Malayalam film in a while. Chidambaram trusts his images over his dialogue, and cinematographer Shyju Khalid gives him frames that hold real weight, especially the ones where the boy’s loneliness swallows the whole screen. The pacing is deliberate but never dull. Every scene adds a layer.
There’s a texture to these opening 70-odd minutes that feels genuinely fresh after years of glossy, Instagram-ready Malayalam releases. The film breathes. It lets silence do work. If Balan had ended at the interval, I’d be calling it a modern classic without hesitation.
Where Balan loses its grip
Then the second half arrives, and a different, weaker movie takes over. This is the part where the film tries to explain its own title, and the drama sags badly on the way there. New characters and subplots pile up, but most of them go nowhere. The tension that the first half earned so carefully just drains out.
The biggest problem is Abbas, the thief-on-the-run played by Tovino Thomas. On paper he’s meant to become a protective figure for young Balan. On screen the track runs close to 30 minutes and the film basically parks itself while it plays out. The character has no clear motive, the prosthetics distract more than they help, and the whole detour stalls the story instead of deepening it. When you can feel a movie killing time, something has gone wrong.
The ending banks everything on a twist, and that’s the other issue. If you’ve watched a decent number of thrillers, you’ll probably see it coming well before it lands. The reveal is fine. It just isn’t the jolt the setup promised, and a brilliant first half deserved a better payoff than “fine.”
Performances: Farzana Palathingal runs the show
Here’s what saves Balan from its own writing. Newcomer Farzana Palathingal, playing the mother, is extraordinary. Her work is internal and controlled, all calculation and fear and fierce protectiveness held behind the eyes. It’s a very hard thing to look vulnerable and frightening at the same time, and she does it without a single false note. Multiple critics, including The Indian Express, said the film belongs entirely to her, and I agree.
Young Adhisheshan K.R. matches her as the child Balan, skipping every cliché of child acting, no forced cuteness, no big weepy scenes. Muhammad Zinaan plays the grown-up Balan and holds his own. And Dolly June, as an eccentric older woman, quietly steals every scene she’s in. I’d have happily watched a whole film in her corner of the story. Jean Paul Lal is sharp as a crooked cop. Tovino, sadly, is stuck with a role that gives him almost nothing.
The technical crew does the heavy lifting
Chidambaram brought back most of his Manjummel Boys team, and it shows. Sushin Shyam’s score is the standout. It sits in the film’s dark corners and swells at exactly the right moments without ever drowning the scene, functioning almost like a fourth lead. Several reviewers pointed out that he practically carries the shaky second half on his back, and that’s fair. Vivek Harshan’s edit keeps the first half flowing cleanly across time jumps and locations. Ajayan Chalissery’s production design grounds the whole thing.
Ratings snapshot: what the critics said
Reviews clustered around a solid-but-not-great score, with near-total agreement on the split-half problem.
| Publication | Rating | Takeaway |
|---|---|---|
| The New Indian Express | 3.5 / 5 | Called it a haunting ode to motherhood, smaller than Manjummel Boys but with a bigger heart |
| The Indian Express | 3 / 5 | Impresses in the first half, stumbles in the second |
| NDTV | 3 / 5 | A survival drama that works for the most part |
| The Times of India | 3 / 5 | Strong opening, but a muted emotional build-up and an underwhelming ending |
My verdict on this balan 2026 Malayalam movie review
Watch it, but keep your expectations honest. Balan: The Boy is proof that Chidambaram is one of the most interesting directors working in Mollywood right now, and Farzana Palathingal is a real find. The first half alone is worth the ticket. Just know that the film doesn’t stick the landing, and the Tovino stretch will test your patience. If you go in wanting a slow-burn character piece rather than a tight commercial thriller, you’ll get more out of it. I’d give it a 3.5 out of 5, carried almost entirely by its performances and Sushin Shyam’s music.
Frequently asked questions
Is the balan 2026 Malayalam movie review consensus positive or negative?
Mostly positive, but qualified. Critics landed around 3 to 3.5 out of 5, praising the first half and the performances while flagging a weaker second half and a predictable twist.
Who is the lead actor in Balan: The Boy?
The film is led by newcomer Farzana Palathingal as the mother and child actor Adhisheshan K.R. as young Balan, with Muhammad Zinaan as the grown-up Balan. Tovino Thomas plays a supporting role.
Is Balan: The Boy connected to Manjummel Boys?
No, the stories are unrelated. It’s just the same director, Chidambaram, working again with much of his Manjummel Boys crew, including composer Sushin Shyam and cinematographer Shyju Khalid.
How long is the movie and when did it release?
It runs 147 minutes and released in theatres on 19 June 2026 in Malayalam, with dubbed versions in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, and Kannada.
Where can I stream Balan: The Boy?
Post-theatrical streaming and satellite rights were reportedly picked up by ZEE5 and Zee Keralam, though an official OTT release date hadn’t been confirmed at the time of writing.
Is Balan: The Boy worth watching in theatres?
Yes, mainly for the first half, Shyju Khalid’s visuals, and Sushin Shyam’s score, which all hit harder on a big screen. Go in expecting a slow, moody drama rather than a fast thriller.
This balan malayalam movie is so emotional and going to be one of the well made movies from malayalam film industry. What is your opnion ?