Once a software engineer, this Indian actor took a leap of faith and pursued his passion for acting. While there are many others who have left their high-paying jobs to enter the world of cinema, this particular actor stands out as he has now achieved superstar status. Tovino Thomas, born in Irinjalakuda, Thrissur, to Adv. Ellikkal Thomas and Sheela Thomas, was once hesitant to accept financial support from his family but is now known for his exceptional performances in several memorable movies. After completing his bachelor’s degree in electronics and communication engineering from Tamil Nadu College of Engineering, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, Tovino worked as a software engineer at Cognizant Technologies before making the switch to acting. The actor revealed in an interview that he was given only one year to make it big in the film industry and shared with Etimes, “Although I was scared to tell my parents about my passion for films after completing my engineering and securing a job, I didn’t want to miss this opportunity.”
Despite facing many challenges, the actor was determined to pursue his dreams of becoming a movie star. Despite lacking connections in the film industry and receiving little support from his parents, he left his job and dove into the world of cinema. Initially, he relied on his brother for financial support, but that wasn’t a long-term solution. Therefore, he took on the role of an assistant director to make ends meet. He eventually found success with his debut film Prabhuvinte Makkal, but it didn’t bring him financial stability. In an interview with Film Companion, he shared how hard it was to make a living as an assistant director. “During the shooting of Koothara, we were all struggling financially and had to survive on our travel allowance. There were times when I even lost that meager amount by taking public transportation.” The situation became so dire that one day while working on a dubbing session, both he and another assistant director had no money for food. Fortunately, their colleague Ashiq had just gotten married and donated a large sum to charity. Seeing this as an opportunity, they jokingly suggested borrowing Rs 200 from their generous colleague for dinner.
Despite starting out as a relatively unknown actor in the Malayalam film industry, Tovino Thomas has now risen to superstardom. He has delivered numerous blockbuster hits, such as 2018, Minnal Murali, Virus, ABCD, Godha and Lucifer. As a result, he is now one of the highest-paid stars in the industry, reportedly earning Rs 4 crore per film. In his role as David Padikkal in Nadikar, Thomas portrays a superstar who is struggling with a string of flops in his career. The pivotal scene where he meets an older man at a bar and must convey years of buried emotions on his face is repeated twice in the film – once at the beginning and again at the climax. This transformation highlights the central theme of Jean Paul Lal’s Nadikar – that true change comes from within. However, it seems unclear what exactly triggers this change for David. The movie tries to convey that it is the internal struggles and growth that matter most as an actor, rather than external validation or success. In a meta twist, there are several scenes within Nadikar where characters critique each other’s performances and offer advice on staying grounded and true to oneself. This serves as a valuable .
The opening credits of the film have a nice touch, with flashing title cards featuring fonts and music from bygone eras. Each new pattern pays homage to the evolution of cinema. The film also begins with a clip of former star Prem Nazir discussing the dedication and hard work it takes to become successful, providing insight into the story ahead. However, despite these promising elements, the script falls short in capturing their essence. David’s journey is portrayed through weak flashbacks and disjointed moments that fail to give a clear reason for his rise or fall. From what we are shown, it appears that his downfall was caused by his own inflated ego and reckless behavior – something we’ve seen before in countless stories about stardom. Bhavana plays a colleague and love interest of David’s with whom he had past success, but they share limited screen time together. Nevertheless, her performance is refreshing and she effortlessly embodies a strong female star who is in tune with the modern times. Overall, while some aspects of the film show promise, Suvin S Somasekharan’s script becomes preachy and lacks depth in exploring David’s character beyond stereotypical elements such as binge drinking, casual hook-ups, and drug use.
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