Music director Sai Abhyankkar debuts in Malayalam cinema with Shane Nigam's 'Balti'

IANS July 4, 2025 487 views

Sai Abhyankkar, the young Tamil music sensation, is making his Malayalam debut with Shane Nigam’s sports drama Balti. Known for his viral hit Katchi Sera, he’s also composing for big projects like Allu Arjun’s AA22XA6. The film marks Shane Nigam’s 25th movie, where he plays a Kabaddi player. Directed by Unni Sivalingam, Balti is produced by STK Frames and Binu George Alexander Productions.

"Mone Sai, Welcome To Malayalam Cinema... where music is deeply loved and musicians are held in great respect!" - Think Music
Music director Sai Abhyankkar debuts in Malayalam cinema with Shane Nigam's 'Balti'
Chennai, July 4: The makers of director Unni Sivalingam's eagerly awaited Malayalam sports action drama 'Balti', featuring Shane Nigam in the lead, on Friday announced young Tamil music sensation, Sai Abhyankkar, as the music director of their film.

Key Points

1

20-year-old Sai Abhyankkar debuts in Malayalam cinema with Balti

2

Composer gained fame after viral single Katchi Sera

3

Shane Nigam stars as a Kabaddi player in his 25th film

4

Sai also working on Allu Arjun’s AA22XA6 and Suriya’s 45th film

The music label, Think Music, in its announcement video, said, "Mone Sai, Welcome To Malayalam Cinema... where music is deeply loved and musicians are held in great respect! May you be blessed with the fortune to fill the hearts of the audience with joy through the music of "Balti" the movie! Best Wishes to Binu George Alexander & Santhosh T Kuruvilla."

Sai Abhyankkar, who is just 20 years old, will be making his debut in Malayalam film music with Balti after having swiftly ascended the ranks in the Tamil film music industry.

Considered a music sensation, Sai Abhyankkar shot to limelight after his independent single, ‘Katchi Sera’, went viral on social media. It did not take long for Tamil film directors to spot the young talent and soon, Sai had a list of big films that he was working on.

Young Sai already is scoring music for Simbu's film that is being directed by director Ramkumar Balakrishnan. He has also been roped in to score music for Suriya’s 45th film and has been signed to score music for Pradeep Ranganathan’s next film with Mythri Movie Makers.

More importantly, he will be composing music for Allu Arjun’s upcoming magnum opus that is to be directed by Atlee, better known as AA22XA6.

Apart from all this, he is also now making his debut in Malayalam film music with 'Balti', in which Shane Nigam plays a Kabaddi player called Udhayan. Interestingly, this film will an important landmark in Shane Nigam's film career as it is his 25th film.

Written and Directed by Unni Sivalingam, the film is being produced by Santhosh T Kuruvilla and Binu George Alexander under the banners of STK Frames and Binu George Alexander Productions respectively. Cinematography for the film is by Alex J Pulickal while Art direction will be by Ashik S.

Reader Comments

R
Rohit P
Malayalam cinema has always had high standards for music. Hope this young talent understands our sensibilities. Wishing him all the best, but the proof will be in the pudding!
A
Arjun K
Shane Nigam + Kabaddi + fresh music director = interesting combo! Malayalam cinema needs more sports dramas. Last good one was 'Sudani from Nigeria'. Fingers crossed 🤞
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Shreya B
The music label's welcome message is so heartwarming! "Where music is deeply loved" - so true about Malayalam cinema. We've given the world legends like Raveendran master and Johnson master. Hope Sai continues this legacy ❤️
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Vikram M
Not sure about this trend of giving big projects to newcomers. Music is the soul of Malayalam films. Hope the producers know what they're doing. But will definitely give it a listen with open mind.
K
Kavya N
Exciting times for Indian cinema! Tamil, Telugu, now Malayalam - our industries are becoming more interconnected. This cross-pollination of talent can only lead to better art forms. All the best to team Balti! 🎶
N
Nikhil C
Shane's 25th film already? Time flies

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Tags:
Sai Abhyankkar Shane Nigam Balti movie Malayalam cinema Tamil music director Unni Sivalingam