The Shane Nigam-starrer Balti is performing well at the box office despite opening to mixed reviews. On Friday, however, producer Santhosh T Kuruvilla took to social media to highlight attempts to tear down Balti’s posters in several locations, even as the film continues its successful run. The producer wrote on Instagram, “This is intolerance. Why are the posters of Shane Nigam’s movies being torn down? Who is trying to stick the posters of other films over the new posters of a Malayalam film running successfully in theatres even now?” Santhosh T Kuruvilla also weighed in on similar attacks against posters of Shane Nigam’s film Haal, expressing doubt over whether the young actor is being deliberately targeted. He said, “This is a very cruel practice. Who is targeting the posters of Shane Nigam’s films like Balti and Haal? What are they gaining from doing this? Balti is one of the most successful films in Shane Nigam’s career, and it’s been getting good reviews from the public. Who are feeling uneasy with all that?” The producer added, “Who is it that is trying to drag down this youngster, who is fast making his presence known as a star in the industry?” Also Read | Balti movie review: This Shane Nigam starrer is lots of fun as an action movie but not so much as a sports drama View this post on Instagram A post shared by Santhosh T Kuruvilla (@santhoshkuruvilla) Santhosh T Kuruvilla, who has bankrolled films like Android Kunjappan, Kettiyolanu Enthe Malaakha, and Maheshinte Pratikaaram, among others, continued, “I have never had such an experience with any of the films I have produced in the past. This tearing apart posters activity has never happened in any of my films, so it happening now makes things clearer, right? Why is a good young actor like Shane Nigam being targeted like this?” The producer ended his note saying, “I am requesting film lovers around Kerala to support us in these times as a producer.” Also Read | From Ghilli to Balti: The evolution of the sports genre in Tamil cinema Directed by debutant Unni Sivalingam, Balti was released in both Tamil and Malayalam, with music composed by Sai Abhayankar in his first film album. The cast also includes Shantanu Bhagyaraj, Preeti Asrani, Selvaraghavan, and Alphonse Puthren in key roles.
