Amala Muralidharan
‘If you can dream it, you can do it’. Hailing from a small town in Kerala, it has never been a constraint to win when the intent to succeed is strong. Tovino is from Irinjalakuda, a place which has given birth to stars like Innocent who is now an MP and President of AMMA.
“As a child I was one among the crowd witnessing the film shoots and it has been my dream from then to be a part of the showbiz”, he says. Tovino left his IT job in 2011 to chase his dream of becoming an actor. Life is a struggle and the 5 film old, Tovino believes that movies aren’t a cakewalk. He says “I still have a long way to go to mark my name in the film industry.”
Tovino’s venture into the tinsel town was through Prabhuvinte Makkal and has been a part of multi-starrers in different shades. Other films done by him are ABCD, August Club, 7th Day and Koothara. His black hat performance in ABCD last year got him rave reviews for his performance as Akhilesh Varma, politician.
“During the shoot of 7th Day, one of its associate directors asked me from which film school I had graduated and that my character in ABCD was not less than any star performance. This is the most precious compliment which would stay with me,” says Tovino.
Putting the best foot forward, like any other new breed actor even he dreams to step into veteran actors Mammootty and Mohan Lal’s shoes. He adds “Lal sir’s simplicity and down to earth behaviour with everyone around is what I like about him. I would want to be someone like him in reel and real life. There is so much to learn from him”.
He continues “Shahrukh Khan and Kamal Hassan are two other actors who I look up to because they have made it big in life coming from a small family and a non filmy background”. He has had his fair share of struggle and says with a smile “without godfathers or a filmy background surviving in the industry is hard but I would find my way to success.”
“Films have always fascinated me right from the day I started watching TV”, he says. But when as a child, Tovino confessed his dream to his parents; they insisted that education must be his first priority. After 4 years of Engineering and being placed with a white collar job, his undying romance for the glam world has brought him here today.
Though he has carved a niche through his films till date, he says his best is yet to come. Tovino has experimented with many looks and is also a fitness freak, preparing himself to be fit for life. “I work out to maintain a neutral body so that it helps me in getting into the skin of the character as the script demands. But unfortunately people don’t recognise me off-screen because of my different looks”, he quips.
When asked about Koothara, his latest release, he says “It was a dream come true working with Mohan Lal and the movie is a journey of friendship”. About his grounded appeal and cut throat competition today, he says, “I’ve grown up in a small town. No one from my family is connected to films but I believe for everyone who is passionate, ready to work hard and face rejections, there is a space for them in the film industry”.
Tovino Thomas has on his what’s next list, a new project with Roopesh Peethambaran titled ‘You too Brutus’ and Albert Antony’s ‘Starring Pournami’.
