Tovino Thomas exclusive interview: 'I’m not in cinema just to make money'

Malayalam star Tovino Thomas makes sure he surprises the audience with every film he does. Known for his versatility, the Minnal Murali star is looking forward to the release of his new film, Nadikar, directed by Lal Jr. Tovino essays the role of a larger-than-life star in this movie which he says definitely doesn’t have any shades of his real life. Also read: Did Tovino Thomas just confirm Ranveer Singh in Shaktimaan movie with Basil Joseph as director?

Nadikar is the actor’s second release in 2024 and he tells us that this film is also experimental and he’s looking forward to the audience reaction when it releases on May 3. In an exclusive chat with Hindustan Times, Nadikar star Tovino Thomas, who just got back from a family vacation in Sri Lanka, talks to us about the film, his success and more.

Tell us about Nadikar and playing superstar David Padikkal.

The movie is about an actor coming of age. I mean from being a popular actor to the beginning of a great actor. I get an acting trainer, played by Soubin Shahir, and we see the way he influences me, the conflicts between us, the ego clashes, etc. But in the end, we see how this actor is transformed into a better human being who is much more focused than before and who takes more effort to play his movie roles to perfection. It's about how this actor transforms into a better human being and a better actor.

Did you find any kind of resonance or parallel from your own life since you are an actor?

There were many moments in Nadikar which I could relate to but this is not directly taken from any actor's life, including mine. We have taken inspiration from many incidents, stories and gossip around actors in the film industry. But we are not mentioning or trying to point fingers at anyone - that is not the purpose of the movie. David works in cinema and since we work in cinema, it’s a familiar environment. In fact, I have taken inspiration from my own life also but not the exact things that happened in my life. But instead, probably what could have happened if I had had the experience. What would I have done if I couldn’t handle my success? Director Lal Jr and I discussed a lot about this before shooting this movie.

Interestingly, David has an acting coach but in real life, not many actors get an acting coach, right?

I do! After Minnal Murali, I felt a sense of responsibility to the audience and got an acting coach. Not to learn acting per se but to consult with someone who knows the theory of acting and help me become better. Everyone in Hollywood does that. For maintaining our physique and all that, we are putting so much effort by going to the gym. But that’s not my actual job. If I am doing any job, I will be doing a specialization course – for instance, if I’m a software engineer, I may specialize in Oracle or Java. In acting also, I felt it's necessary to get a coach because boundaries between various industries have blurred. More people are watching my movies than before and I believe it's my responsibility to sharpen and polish my skills. So that I will be able to entertain people without fail.

This is a very different story. Did you find anything surprising at all as you did this film?

Yes. The best part about this movie is that it's not the usual film that I’ve done. It has much more different aspects compared to other movies that I’ve done and we are the ones who know the best about it, as it’s about the film industry. We wanted to include every department involved in a film and show how every department works in a very entertaining way. Usually, in movies in which actors are characters, they will generally talk about only the actors and directors and ignore the other technicians. But we’ve included all of them to convey an emotion instead of depending on a regular scene. I feel we have tried something unusual. In Nadikar, we also show David shooting for three films at the same time – and this helps us understand the character better.

Didn’t you find it very method acting though?

For me to be a method actor, this is the best movie! Because I'm already an actor. The only thing is I play a very different kind of actor, a very different kind of person. That's the only difference. In this movie David goes through emotional upheavals and personal struggles. In everyone's eyes, he is very successful but he's not happy. How can we call someone successful if they are not happy? By the end of the movie, he is happy because he realizes certain things in life.

Your previous film, Anweshippin Kandethum, reportedly didn't do too well at the box office and had mixed reviews.

I don't think so. The movie was profitable for the producers. I don't agree that it didn't do well. Now, if you compare it to other movies which became even bigger hits then what you said is right. But I don't think that it can be considered a movie which didn't do well at the box office. I think it had mixed reviews for sure but after the OTT release, the reviews were great and the audience loved it.

You ensure you keep doing different kinds of films like Anweshippin Kandethum and now Nadikar.

That's the whole point. We cannot keep doing the same thing over and over. I'll get bored. I think people are appreciating whatever I'm doing. And every movie I'm doing is aimed at a different kind of audience. I don't want to be known as an actor who does just one typical kind of movie. This way I can maintain my unpredictability. People will not know what I'm going to do next on screen which I think is very important for an actor.

But has there been any negative review or comment in the last few years that has impacted you?

I always welcome all valid and constructive criticism because that is how I understand what needs to be done. How can I improve myself? But I don't pay any attention to baseless, senseless criticism.

With social media, everybody has become a movie critic now…

The whole purpose of criticism is for the betterment. That's what I believe. But what if the taste of the reviewer is not that great? If the reviewer doesn't have a good taste and he has a mobile connection and free Internet, he can write what he wants. I don't take those reviews as serious reviews. When I see a review in which people are talking about things which I also felt, then I pay attention to it. I don't lie to myself - if something is not good, it's not good. If there is something that I need to look into, I'll definitely consider. I might not go and thank them right away, but I am thankful to them. Because that's how I understand what other things I should be looking into after every movie.

You spoke about David and how he's not happy despite his success. But where you stand today in your career, you seem happy.

Yes, I'm living my dream. (Smiles) I keep pushing my boundaries every single day. I'm not someone who has excelled in acting or any art form when I was in school or college. (14:39) But I wanted to be an actor, so that's when I started working on those skills and I do it every day. Whatever things I do, I do it for my profession. When I watch a movie, I'm doing my homework. And when I'm learning a new skill for a new movie, it doesn't go away after that movie. That skill stays with me. So for every movie, if I learn something new, or if every day I learn something new, it will help me in my career – either today or 10 years later. I think it's important that I learn something new every day. And if I do that, my ability to learn new things keeps improving. I think it's important for me to survive and thrive as an actor which is why I'm trying to do something new every day.

Do you see yourself as a superstar like the audience does?

I haven't understood this term. I've seen people calling many, including me, a superstar. What are the criteria to be a superstar? I've just started my career. The superstardom that you're referring to is related to my commercial value, my likability and my ability to pull crowds to the theatres. If this is the definition, then yes, I like being called a superstar but if this title becomes a burden, I don't like it. Because I don't want people to expect me to do the same thing again and again, and tell me I’m not good if they don’t like it. Then stardom becomes a burden. I'm trying to give the audience something new every time and I think they'll appreciate me. I'm pursuing my profession, my dream and putting all my effort into it. If people don't enjoy something, I'm sorry, I'll come up with something new next time. But whatever tags or names people give me, I don't want it to restrict me. I cannot do a lot of roles if I consider myself a star – I can only do them if I see myself as an actor.

Take the film, Adrishya Jaalakangal, which went to many international film festivals, including the Fantasporto International Film Festival (Portugal) and the Tallinn Black Nights International Film Festival (Estonia). I won the Best Actor Award for Adrishya Jalakangal at Fantasporto and this was a dream for me. It is an international award. I cannot expect the kind of satisfaction I got from doing Adrishya Jalakangal from a regular commercial film. I will have to do movies to maintain my stardom but I will also work in these films for my creative satisfaction. My motive to be in cinema is not just money alone.

You do a big family vacation each year. Does your family keep you grounded?

Yes, I am the only one who works in the film industry; all of them work in the corporate sector. Nobody at my home is going to judge me for whatever I do and they love me for what I am - not because I am an actor. I don't have to pretend with them and I think that is very important for my mental and physical well-being. Once a movie shoot is over, I just want to go home and be with my family and unwind. The one and only thing that keeps me rooted, I think is my family and my friends, who are not in the film industry. They don't want anything from me and they are the ones who call and ask how I’m doing. That is very important for a human being to survive, I think.