Is Nivin Pauly's Malayalam Thriller, 'Baby Girl' Based On A True Story? Here's What We Know

Baby Girl, the Malayalam thriller starring Nivin Pauly, was released theatrically on January 23, 2026. According to the latest reports, the thriller film is all set to premiere on the OTT platform, SonyLIV, from February 12, 2026. Alongside Nivin, the film also stars, Lijomol Jose, Sangeeth Prathap, and more. But do you know that Nivin Pauly replaced Kunchacko Boban in the film? Yes, you read it right. Now that 2 days are left for the digital release, let’s find out whether the thriller is based on a true story.

Is Baby Girl based on real-life incidents?

According to an ETV Bharat report, the Malayalam thriller is inspired by two real-life incidents from Kerala. However, not many details are provided about it. Just a few days before the film, Baby Girl’s theatrical release, in an interview with OTTPlay, director, Arun Varma shared that the thriller is based on multiple real-life incidents. He was quoted as saying:

"Contrary to the title, it's a thriller. It's based on multiple real-life incidents. That's all I can say right now about the film as such."

Later, in an interview with TOI, Nivin Pauly, the lead actor of the film, opened up about some unheard details about the film. He revealed that the Malayalam thriller was shot in real locations. He shared that permissions were taken before shooting. He was quoted as saying:

"All locations are real. We shot in real premises. We took the permissions in advance. It's all real. The train scenes are also real."

What to expect from the Malayalam thriller, Baby Girl?

Baby Girl revolves around a newborn baby who goes missing from a state-run hospital. Nivin Pauly stepped in as 'Sanal Mathew', who is a nurse at the hospital. After the unexpected disappearance of the newborn baby, the entire blame falls on 'Sanal'. While the investigation began, everybody started doubting 'Sanal'. Viewers will have to watch till the end to find out whether 'Sanal' is proven guilty or innocent.

Director, Arun Varma opened up about the film's biggest challenge and how that was overcomed

In an interview with ETV Bharat, director, Arun Varma opened up about the thriller’s biggest challenge. He shared that they had a difficult time finding a newborn for their shoot. As per the script, they required a baby who was only two or three days old. However, when the shoot approached, they realised very few parents would allow it. But around that time, they learned that their line producer, Akhil Yashodharan’s wife was expecting. It was Akhil who allowed his baby to part of the project. Arun was quoted as saying:

"We had a tough time finding a newborn for our shoot. The script required a baby only two or three days old. At first, we thought it would be easy, but as the shoot approached, we realised very few parents would allow it. Around that time, we learned that our line producer Akhil Yashodharan's wife was expecting, with the delivery due during the shooting schedule. We couldn't ask Akhil to give his newborn for the film. But he offered it himself, understanding the situation. Even then, we hesitated because the baby would be only two or three days old. There were concerns about health, immunity, and safety."

Nivin Pauly was not the first choice for Baby Girl

The makers of Baby Girl first chose Kunchacko Boban for their film. However, the actor was replaced by Nivin Pauly, due to the former’s scheduling issues. Speaking about the replacement, director, Arun shared that small changes were made for the Sarvam Maya actor, and they worked pretty well. He added that 'everything fell into place at the right time.'

What are your thoughts on Baby Girl being based on multiple real-life incidents? Let us know.

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