Baby Girl: Nivin Pauly replaces Kunchacko Boban in Malayalam thriller in last-minute shuffle?

Arun Varma's upcoming directorial film Baby Girl garnered much attention at the time of its announcement as it brought together the Traffic team. The 2025 film, penned by the formidable Bobby and Sanjay, had Kunchacko Boban in the lead, and was produced by Listin Stephen – all of whom were associated with the 2011 film, Traffic. But the latest updates suggest that Kunchacko Boban, who recently starred in the Officer on Duty, would not be a part of Baby Girl and that he has been replaced by Nivin Pauly. Read on to know the details...

Nivin Pauly replaced Kunchacko Boban in Baby Girl?

The upcoming Malayalam film, Baby Girl, went on floors earlier this week after a traditional pooja. The cast and crew of the Arun Varma directorial attended the event but the lead star was missing. Kunchacko Boban, who was earlier announced to star in the film, did not attend the ceremony. 

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Reports suggest that Kunchacko Boban will have to miss the project as his schedule for the Mahesh Narayanan film, which stars both Mammootty and Mohanlal, got extended. This has led to Nivin Pauly coming on board the film, in a last-minute shuffle. The Premam actor joined just a week before the film went on floors, reports claim. However, the Baby Girl team has not officially confirmed that Kunchacko Boban would be exiting the project and Nivin Pauly would be replacing him.

Baby Girl cast

Apart from the lead hero, Baby Girl features actors such as Lijomol Jose, Sangeeth Prathap of Premalu fame, Azees Nedumangad and Aswanth Lal. Abhimanyu Thilakan, who made his acting debut with Unni Mukundan’s Marco, is also a part of the project. Set in Thiruvananthapuram, Baby Girl follows the events that happen over a day. 

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There is much expectation from the film, touted to be a thriller, as it is penned by Bobby and Sanjay, who have scripted several notable Malayalam films such as Ayalum Njanum Thammil, and Mumbai Police.

Arun Varma had previously directed Garudan, which was also produced by Listin Stephen. Suresh Gopi and Biju Menon starred in the film along with Siddique, Jagadish, Major Ravi, Dileesh Pothan, Nishanth Sagar, Abhirami, and Divya Pillai.