Latest news with #Balti
New Indian Express
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Shane Nigam's Balti gets a release date
Sai Abhyankkar, currently among the most sought-after composers in Tamil cinema, is making his Malayalam debut with Balti, handling both the film's music and background score. The makers have got Shivkumar V Panicker, best known for work in Kill and Uri: The Surgical Strike, to edit the film. Alex J Pulickal, who also shot Shane's RDX, is the cinematographer.
Hindustan Times
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Music sensation Sai Abhyankkar's 6 star-studded films awaiting to hit big screens
It's raining big projects one after another for young musician Sai Abhyankkar. Just in his early twenties, Sai Abhyankkar has four indie music tracks to his credits, and has already bagged six prestigious projects in the making. Son of singers Tippu and Harini, Sai Abhyankkar rose to fame with the single track Katchi Sera. After the song went viral, he released three tracks till date, Aasa Kuda, Sithiri Puthiri and Vizhi Veekura, in all of which he performed and sang. With the young musician the current sensation in Tamil cinema, it looks like Sai Abhyankkar has his kitty filled with some of the most expected projects. While six projects have been officially announced, there is also Atlee-Allu Arjun film and Sivakarthikeyan-starrer that are yet to formally confirm Sai Abhyankkar's presence. Young musician Sai Abhyankkar Enjoy watching films that introduce you to good music? Stream JioHotstar's OK Kanmani, Kaaviya Thalaivan, and more that give you earworms, with OTTplay Premium subscription With just 4 indie music tracks, Sai Abhyankkar bags 6 top films Benz Benz is the first project that officially announced Sai Abhyankkar as composer. Backed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, and directed by Bakkiyaraj Kannan, the film features Raghava Lawrence and Nivin Pauly in the lead roles. After Kaithi, Vikram and Leo, Benz will join the LCU line-up of films. This means Sai Abhyankkar will join the list of Anirudh Ravichander and Sam CS who scored for LCU films earlier. Karuppu Karuppu, starring Suriya in the lead role, will have music scored by Sai Abhyankkar. While it is to be noted that the makers had first announced that Karuppu's music will be done by AR Rahman, for reasons unknown, Sai Abhyankkar has replaced him. Directed by RJ Balaji, the film also features Trisha, Swasika, Indrans, Yogi Babu, Sshivada, Natty Subramaniam and others. Dude The team of Dude vibrates with youthful energy, given the film is directed by debutant Keerthiswaran, while it stars Pradeep Ranganathan and Mamitha Baiju in the lead roles. Sai Abhyankkar scores the music for the film which is backed by Mythri Movie Makers. Dude is set to release in theatres for Diwali this year. STR49 STR 49 is an upcoming project starring Silambarasan in the lead role. The film is helmed by Ramkumar Balakrishnan who made his debut with the critically acclaimed film Parking. Sai Abhayankkar is scoring music once again for a biggie, which also stars Kayadu Lohar and Santhanam. Balti Balti will mark the Malayalam debut for Sai Abhyankkar. Featuring Shane Nigam in the lead role, the film is eyeing for an Onam release. Balti is a sports drama and marks Shane's 25th film. It was only recently the makers of Balti introduced Sai Abhyankkar into their project, as a promo video showed the young musician getting a call from Mohanlal. Marshal Marshal is the latest project to officially confirm Sai Abhyankkar's presence. Headlined by Karthi and directed by Tamizh of Taanakkaran fame, Marshal is touted to be a period drama set against the coastal regions. Actors Sathyaraj, Prabhu, Kalyani Priyadarshan, Lal, John Kokken, Murali Sharma, Easwari Rao and others are also cast in Marshal. This means Sai Abhyankkar will be scoring for both the brothers; Suriya in Karuppu and Karthi in Marshal.
Indian Express
05-07-2025
- General
- Indian Express
Save the Balti: Meet the Englishman trying to save Birmingham Balti, the famous Brit-Asian curry
It's feared that the Balti might kick the bucket soon, but a Birmingham resident has taken it upon himself to keep it alive and simmering. A food writer, a one-time bureaucrat and a proud Brummie, Andy Munro, 78, is fighting to save the famous British Asian curry that is cooked, and also served, in thin, steel-pressed woks that resemble the good-old sub-continental kadhai but are shallower and called Balti — a bucket. From food hubs full of Balti houses in the 70s, when the dish hit the market, to just a handful of them trying to stay afloat now, Birmingham, known as the birthplace of heavy-metal music, is losing its light-metal curry bowl legacy. 'This autumn I am going to put a bid to the British government as they have a department for the protection of cultural heritage. I would like Balti to have a UNESCO-approved mark. I have sent them a video of Balti being cooked. Despite the large-scale shut-downs, there are close to 40 to 50 genuine Balti houses in Britain so I am not worried about the numbers,' says Munro, who is also the secretary of the Association for the Protection of the Authentic Balti and is a writer of two Balti books. Munro was born in Birmingham and lived most of his life in the city's famous Balti Triangle, an area around Ladypool Road, Stoney Lane, and Stratford Road that was once a Balti haven. 'It was me who coined this name. Earlier, this was called Balti Belt and it didn't sound right. So I took some creative liberty and called it the Balti Triangle, inspired by the Bermuda Triangle. I had come up with this line — Balti Triangle, where you get in the sea of spices. But with time, what has remained is just Balti Triangle,' says Munro. To share the Balti story, he is at Ladypool Road's Shababs restaurant, one of the two authentic Balti places on the street. What was once a sprawling Balti den now offers a truly global spread — there's Thai, Turkish, Lebanese and also a burger and fries place called MakHallal. Also around is the Shababs owner Zaf Hussain, 40, whose family has been into Baltis for several decades. It is Munro who starts this 'necessity being the mother of invention' tale. Back in the 70s, Birmingham, England's industrial hub, saw a large exodus from Pakistan. With time, restaurants with sub-continent cuisine would crop up. 'They were very rough and ready eating places. Glass-topped tables and basin in the corner to wash your hands. They were very basic,' he says. However, there turned out to be one restaurateur from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir who thought of attracting the posh white clients, the ones Munro calls the 'Jewel in the crown' crowd. 'So he wanted to invent a dish which would attract the local customers because what he used to originally serve was the chicken-on-the-bone dish that was greasy,' narrates Munro. There were other considerations. He wanted a fast-to-cook dish, since the Brummies, like anyone, didn't like to wait for ages for their order. The Indo-Pak cuisine had other limitations to be on the menu of restaurants in England. 'They used ghee and that heavy duty Indian kadhai was more suited for slow-cooking,' says the riveting story teller, setting up the suspense. 'So instead of ghee, he used vegetable oil since it has a higher smoke point. And he also thought about Balti, a thin flat-bottomed, shallow vessel with handles that was suited to sizzle on high flame. And it was made by Sikhs working in furnaces and factories around Birmingham,' he says. Hussain says unlike the butter-chicken and tikkas that are Asian exports that the British have got hooked to, Balti is truly a 'Made in England' curry. 'I have been back and forth to Pakistan 10 to 12 times in my lifetime but I have never sampled a Balti or found one,' he says before heading to the kitchen to prove the claim that Balti can be done in less than 10 minutes. The flame is rising furiously from the stove, he places a Balti on the fire and gets into a frenzy. Oil, raw chicken, onion, garlic, ginger, tomato slices and several scoops of spices from his jumbo masala box get cooked. He stirs them rigorously and in less than 10 minutes, it is ready to be on the table. 'It's not just a chicken dish, Balti is more of a cooking style. It could be keema, lamb, mixed vegetables and even daal. But the daal needs to be pre-cooked. Vegetables like potato and aubergine can be cooked in the Balti and served,' says Zaf. Munro, meanwhile, draws attention to the side of the Balti, fresh from the fire, the fuming brownish curry whistling the desired smoky aroma. 'You see those little bubbles. Because of the high flame, it caramelises. Michelin chefs would die to get that caramelisation but you get that naturally with a Balti,' he says before giving the final 'how to eat a Balti' instruction. 'Never eat it with rice, it doesn't work. Take a naan or roti, break it with your hands. Dip it into the Balti, take a chunk of chicken and a lot of masala, scoop it out and place it in your mouth.' There are other traditions, though not strictly followed. Like the Wazwan is traditionally relished back in his ancestors' homes in a 'trami', a collective serving, the Balti is recommended to be eaten straight off the serving sizzling wok, like a fondue. There are restaurants who serve the Balti dish in silver bowls and that's what Munro fears the most and wants to stop. 'That worries me, since I am a passionate Birmingham resident. When people come to Birmingham, they have heard about the famous Balti and they sit down to have it. If they are served in silver bowls, it is pseudo-Balti. That way, all the properties are lost. Then people would say 'What's the big deal about Balti? It's just any other curry. That's what makes me determined,' says the Save The Balti campaigner.
New Indian Express
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Shane Nigam's next, presented by Jeethu Joseph, wraps filming
Last seen in his Tamil debut, Madraskaaran, Shane's upcoming slate also includes debutant Unni Sivalingam's Malayalam-Tamil bilingual sports-based actioner Balti and newcomer Veeraa's romantic entertainer Haal. Meanwhile, Jeethu has multiple directorial ventures in various stages of production, including Asif Ali-Aparna Balamurali's Mirage, Biju Menon-Joju George's Valathu Vashathe Kallan and the third instalment of his blockbuster franchise Drishyam, headlined by Mohanlal.
New Indian Express
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Shane Nigam's 25th film titled Balti, first look and teaser out
Actor Shane Nigam's 25th film has been titled Balti, a sports action drama set against the backdrop of kabaddi. The makers unveiled the film's first-look poster and teaser, offering a glimpse of Shane as Udhayan, a kabaddi player. The teaser depicts the character being pursued by police through crowded streets, culminating in a transition to a kabaddi court scene with his teammates. Written and directed by debutant Unni Sivalingam, it was shot in both Malayalam and Tamil, with primary locations including Coimbatore, Palakkad and Pollachi. Balti features Preethi Asrani and Shanthnu Bhagyaraj in key roles, with several national and state-level kabaddi players also part of the cast. According to the makers, the film's soundtrack will mark the Malayalam debut of a well-known music composer, though details remain undisclosed. Its technical crew includes cinematographer Alex J Pulickal and editor Shivkumar V Panicker, known for his work in Bollywood films such as Kill, Uri: The Surgical Strike, Tumhari Sulu and Kapoor & Sons.
