I want to be a pan-India actor, not a star: Tovino Thomas

Malayalam star Tovino Thomas says he wants to translate the widespread acclaim he received for his Netflix film ”Minnal Murali” into becoming a pan-India actor.

Thomas made his acting debut with a supporting role in 2012 with ”Prabhuvinte Makkal” and eventually made a big splash with his 2017 romantic-thriller ”Mayanadi”.

Last year, the actor shot to wider fame with ”Minnal Murali”, which featured him as a tailor who gains superpowers after being struck by lightning.

In an interview with PTI, Thomas said he is grateful for the kind of ”push” the Basil Joseph-directed film gave him.

”Today, I want to be a pan-India actor, not a pan-India star. As a pan-India star, I will be doing only lead characters. But I don’t want to keep doing that and be predictable. I want to have a range, be unpredictable. I would like to do supporting characters, comic roles, or play a villain. That way, as an artiste I won’t be bored,” the 33-year-old said.

Thomas is currently seen in the Malayalam political thriller ”Naradan”. Directed by Aashiq Abu, the film features Thomas as a TV news anchor and is a stinging commentary on the sensationalism practised by broadcast journalism. The actor said the film is a step towards his efforts of doing continued good work.

”I am aware of the expectations riding on me post ‘Minnal Murali’. I will now have to be more responsible, which is why ‘ Naradan’ fits well. With a wider visibility of your work, you cannot choose bad scripts, because it will disappoint the audience. If people are coming to the theatres because my name and face is attached to it, I have to ensure I offer them something worthwhile.

”There is no pressure to be under the spotlight, because that only means that I will reach out to many people. I have been competing with myself for a long time, so that doesn’t change anything,” he added.

”Naradan” is Thomas’ third collaboration with Abu, after ”Mayanadi” and ”Virus”.

The actor said when he was first offered the part, he was unsure if he would be able to pull it off.

”It is a really complex part. There is a duality in him which was difficult to do. I was not confident if I would be able to do it because the pitch of the performance was unlike anything I had ever done before. ”When I got inputs, I kept working hard. I trained how to be a news anchor–because there is a certain way they speak, there is a command, an authority. Once the homework was done, I felt confident,” he added.

”Naradan”, which released on March 3, also stars Anna Ben. The film is written by Unni R and produced by Santhosh T Kuruvilla, Rima Kallingal and Abu.