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Listin Stephen is a prominent name in the Malayalam film industry, widely recognized for his banner, Magic Frames. Over the years, he has backed several blockbuster films, including A.R.M., Garudan, Kooman, Jana Gana Mana, and Driving License. With more than 30 projects to his credit, he currently has two films in production and another in post-production.
At the launch event of Dileep’s milestone 150th film, Prince and Family, Listin, who is also producing the film, took to the stage to share his thoughts. He spoke about various aspects of the project, noted that this marked his first collaboration with Dileep, and fondly recalled admiring the actor during his childhood. While he shared some behind-the-scenes production insights, one specific remark from his speech quickly went viral on social media.
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The speech, delivered in Malayalam, can be roughly translated as follows: “A prominent actor in Malayalam cinema has done a major mistake, like setting off a giant firecracker without reason. The individual in question will understand this message is directed at him. What he has done is a grave misstep, and this is a reminder of that fact. It’s crucial that it stops here, because if it continues, the consequences could be severe.” Though Listin didn’t mention the actor’s name, News18 Kerala reported that he was allegedly referring to Nivin Pauly.
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#ListinStephen put a Bomb 😱😱😱 pic.twitter.com/B3MMkoSlbT
— Unni Rajendran (@unnirajendran_) May 2, 2025
It was previously reported that Listin Stephen’s Magic Frames is producing a Malayalam movie titled Baby Girl, and the film had last-minute casting changes. According to Mathrubhumi, initial rumors suggested that actor Nivin Pauly expressed his desire to leave the shooting location just a few days into filming. Despite efforts by the producer and director to convince him to stay, Nivin ultimately walked out and went on to work in another film. He has not returned to the sets of Baby Girl until now.
Following this incident, rumors about Listin Stephen and director Arun Varma unfollowing Nivin Pauly on Instagram also made the rounds online. However, Listin, also an office-bearer of the Producers’ Association, has not filed any official complaint with any film body against the actor. Meanwhile, director Arun Varma clarified that Nivin Pauly walked out of the film after acting on the dates scheduled for him.
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He also said that the team behind Baby Girl does not need to focus on thinking if the actor went on to work in another film. Varma further mentioned that they are not aware of the rumors circulating on social media. According to Asianet News, Nivin Pauly had allocated his dates to Baby Girl until the end of May. However, he’s said to have suddenly backed out of the film, supposedly because of another project he had previously signed.
That project had been delayed multiple times, but since Nivin had already taken a big advance from the producer, they eventually pushed him to either start shooting or return the money. This seems to be the main reason he unexpectedly stepped away from Baby Girl. Both Listin Stephen and Nivin Pauly have remained silent since Listin made the first public remark. The director of Baby Girl has also declined to comment, stating that production is only ongoing.
Meanwhile, another producer, Sandra Thomas, lashed out at Listin Stephen. She demanded that Listin be removed from film organizations, arguing that he should have taken his grievances to the appropriate film bodies instead of airing them publicly.
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