Nivin Pauly on the mega success of ‘Bethlehem Kudumba Unit’: ‘This is my biggest hit so far’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Nivin Pauly is all smiles. “Bethlehem Kudumba Unit” (“BKU”) has given him the biggest box-office hit of his career. The Onam release has stormed past ₹220 crore worldwide in 13 days — a rare feat for a Malayalam film, both at the domestic box office and overseas.

In Christmas 2025, his “Sarvam Maya” collected nearly ₹150 crore worldwide and became his first-ever ₹100-crore-plus blockbuster. Now “BKU” has gone several notches higher. In Chennai for the release of the film’s Tamil dubbed version, Nivin spoke exclusively to Variety India about the runaway success.

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“BKU” is a blockbuster. What do you think made it click in such a big way?

Yes, this is my biggest hit so far. All credit goes to the team, especially director Girish AD. It was a wonderful script. The age-gap romance, the packaging, the humor… everything landed. Producers Fahadh Faasil, Syam Pushkaran and Dileesh Pothan of Bhavana Studios locked an Onam release much earlier, and family audiences lapped it up.

You’ve been hugely appreciated by the family audiences — as the ordinary man in “Sarvam Maya” and now “BKU” — at a time when thrillers and action films are ruling.

Family audiences are the backbone of Indian cinema, in any language. If families like a film, ticket sales soar. Theatres are happy too — concession sales boom.

You entered the film industry with “Premam,” a romantic film that did very well. Would you say romance still works best for you?

(Smiles) I’ve tried a lot of genres. Some worked, some didn’t. But simple romantic love stories have worked the best for me.

What’s next?

My next release is a Tamil film, “Yezhu Kadal Yezhu Malai,” with director Ram. It’s slated for October. In Malayalam, I’m working on a film tentatively titled “NP51,” produced by director Martin Prakkat along with my banner Pauly Pictures and directed by Nashid Famy, who made “Jaya Jaya Jaya Jai Hey.” It’s an out-and-out family entertainer packed with humor and romance, with Rukmini Vasanth as the heroine. Targeting a Vishu 2027 (April 14, 2027) summer release. I’m talking to a few other makers as well, but nothing is locked yet.