Tovino Thomas interview on ‘Ajayante Randam Moshanam’: It is good for the audience if an actor is unpredictable

Tovino Thomas in a still from ‘Ajayante Randam Moshanam’

Being the jack of all trades — be it in any field — never comes easy. In the film industry, where a lead actor’s career span mostly depends on their consistency in helming movies that rake in the moolah at the box office, it is rife with risks to continuously experiment with roles in a bid to prove your versatility.

For actor Tovino Thomas, who has carved a space of his own in Malayalam filmdom since making his debut 12 years ago without any godfathers in the industry, that seems to be not a deterrent. He has never limited himself to being a ‘safe zone’ actor, who sticks to only certain roles. From the unconditional lover Appu in Ennu Ninte Moideen to the macho villain Shaji in Kala to the flamboyant and effervescent Wazi in Thallumaala, Tovino has been able to pull off a range of characters in his 49-film-old career.

During a visit to The Hindu office ahead of the release of his 50th film titled Ajayante Randam Moshanam aka ARM, Tovino says that the diversity in his filmography has earned him the tag of an “unpredictable actor”. “It is good for the audience if an actor is unpredictable. I don’t want people to think that Tovino is always the hero. I don’t want them to decide before they watch a movie,” he says, about breaking the moviegoers’ preconceived notions.

In ARM, which, according to him is a blend of several genres, he has tried to further push his limits and put his acting prowess to test as he plays three characters belonging to three different eras. He says he approached the characters like he would in three separate films because they are all so distinctive; and he has gone the extra mile to nail them.

“We designed how these three characters walk, smile, talk, and even fight. I practised kalaripayattu for around six months for this movie,” he says, pointing out how important it is to explore the nuances of characters to make them look unique. Elaborating on his process of internalising the three characters, he says each character has a prominent basic emotion of their own. “For the first character, it is veera (courage), second it is roudra (anger), and third it is karuna (sorrow).”

Apart from going through such intense processes to perfect his performances, Tovino says he also doesn’t mind learning a little “magic trick” or two that adds more layers to his characters. Whether it is the closing shot in the teaser of ARM, where he swallows a beedi and takes it out — all while it is still lit — or the ‘ring toss game’ scene he did in the 2021 superhero film Minnal Murali, he says he finds joy in mastering such practical effects that can elevate a scene.

The game-changer role

Talking about Minnal Murali, Tovino says that his career can be divided into “before and after” the film, thanks to its acceptance worldwide. “That film pushed the boundaries of my capabilities. After it, I felt more sense of responsibility because my movies were now being watched by more people than before,” he notes about the film, which had entered Netflix’s weekly Global Top 10 (Non-English) list, upon its release.

Asked the reason behind its success, Tovino says that it presented a superhero who is very grounded and rooted in the local culture. “Minnal Murali is a superhero who wears a dhoti. Though the superhero element is unrealistic, Basil [director Basil Joseph] had a realistic approach, which made the film believable,” he says.

Tovino Thomas with the team of ‘Ajayante Randam Moshanam’ at The Hindu office in Chennai