‘Truth will prevail...’: Nivin Pauly responds to cheating allegations against him and Abrid Shine
Actor Nivin Pauly’s team issued a formal statement on Thursday denying recent allegations of cheating in connection with the Malayalam film Mahaveeryar, calling the claims misleading and in violation of a court-directed arbitration process.
In a Facebook post shared by his team, the statement read, "We would like to clarify that the dispute has been under court-directed arbitration since 28.06.2025, with a gag order in place to ensure confidentiality. Despite this, a new case has been registered without respecting the court's directions and by concealing the ongoing arbitration proceedings and manipulating facts. We will pursue appropriate legal action. The truth will prevail. "
Posted by Nivin Pauly on Thursday, July 17, 2025
The response comes after Mahaveeryar co-producer Shamnas filed a police complaint against Nivin Pauly and director Abrid Shine, accusing them of cheating and breach of trust. Acting on a court order, the Thalayolaparambu police registered a case under Sections 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating) and 34 (common intention), all non-bailable offences.
According to the complaint, following the commercial failure of Mahaveeryar, Nivin Pauly allegedly assured Shamnas compensation of ₹95 lakh and a co-production role in Action Hero Biju 2, helmed by Abrid Shine. Based on this promise, Shamnas claimed to have invested ₹1.90 crore into the project in April 2024.
The production banner was officially shifted from Abrid Shine Productions to Shamnas’s company, Movie Makers, through a submission to the Kerala Film Chamber of Commerce. However, a dispute reportedly arose between the parties regarding the film’s budget and execution.
Further allegations include that the film’s distribution rights were secretly sold to a Dubai-based firm using a previous agreement, bypassing Shamnas. The complaint claims the Dubai firm was led to believe that Pauly Juniors, Nivin Pauly’s production house, still held the rights to the film. An advance payment of ₹2 crore was allegedly collected from a ₹5 crore deal with the overseas distributor.