Tovino Thomas confesses to unpredictability. Also that he hates to limit himself in any manner, if he wants to do something he’d much rather do it. Scenarist Syam Pushakaran attributed Tovino’s choice of films to this unpredictability, he says. His choice of roles has been consciously diverse. Of his recent films—taken from Guppy onwards—he has mixed it up. Ezra , Oru Mexican Aparatha , Godha , Tharangam , Mayanadhi , Aami , Maradona (which releases tomorrow) and the long overdue Theevandi are proof of the fact and that he doesn’t belong to a camp—‘an advantage’ as he puts it.
“The mix and match of different directors and script writers, the result of their work is very interesting. I have been trying to do different genres of films, and belonging to a camp would be limiting.” Kamal’s Kamala Surayya biopic Aami , for instance. It was his first project with Manju Warrier, Kamal and some others in the film, with it he connected with their audience, and the writer’s, as well. “Had I been part of a camp, probably this audience would never have known me. In order to reach everybody I want to do every kind of film.”
The last one year he has been busy, and life has changed, he admits. Among the films in his kitty is the much-anticipated Oru Kuprasidha Payyan , directed by Madhupal, Maari 2 (Tamil) which will release later this year.
Tovino Thomas reveals less known aspects of himself in a free wheeling chat.
The most rewarding thing about being an actor.
That we get the love of complete strangers through our work, through the characters we essay. It works the other way too—being at the receiving end of someone’s ire, but there’s no point taking it personally. This is probably possible only in films.
The most frustrating thing.
Not being able to sleep, it is a basic need! To some extent also that strangers poke fun at you, get angry with you.
One quality an actor should possess.
An actor should have ‘seen’ life. Experienced life as real life experiences are important to an actor—being able to observe or imagine the lives of others. I am most comfortable doing characters that are close to life—with my experience of life and people too.
Instinct or method?
In my case, instinct. I’ve read somewhere that acting is behaving; not an actor behaving as he would but as the character would. So isn’t acting and behaving ? Becoming the character and then moving ahead with the character—taking it from there.
Memory of your first audition.
It was for ABCD . I had no idea what the character was to be like when I went to meet the director, Martin Prakkat. I wore my hair long and had a beard then. We spoke, I showed him my short film; he told me the look was different and that it was a clean shaven, wearing all-white kind of look. I asked to meet him in a couple of days.
When I went next, my hair cut off and shorn of my beard, one of the writers Naveen Bhaskar exclaimed, ‘here comes our Akhilesh Varma’. At that point I felt confident from then on, Martin chettan asked if he should make me do the screen test and I was like ‘sure.’ I was on tenterhooks till the shoot began.
What inspires you to accept a role?
At the very least, it should be the kind of film which I would be able to watch. And the three aspects of cinema—as art (his primary concern as artist), medium of entertainment, and finally that it is a business. The story has to appeal to me, the history of its makers and their vibe. How I feel a film would come out doesn’t matter. Some have come out much better than I expected and others much worse. If somebody approaches me saying they are planning a film like this or that—it is a put off. If there is something like that already, then why another?
A dream role.
No such. My response to the last question—if something is already there then why. I don’t want to do something that has been done before.
An actor is a puppet in the hands of the director.
Not a puppet but a tool. A puppet would imply that an actor doesn’t have a mind of his own. No, not a tool either. An actor has to have an inherent quality where he contributes to the film, to the director’s work. A film is the result of teamwork, an actor brings in his instinct and presence of mind to the job.
If not an actor, then...
Definitely not a software engineer, I don’t think I’m born to do that. I wouldn’t have been happy. Then what? (Ponders) I would have been a farmer, perhaps.
