I prefer playing a villain than bland hero: Tovino

From a politician with grey shades in ABCD to the lovelorn Appu in Ennu Ninte Moideen, Tovino Thomas has come a long way. This year looks promising for the actor with an impressive line-up of four movies, each of which showcases the actor playing roles that are poles apart. Kochi Times chats up the hunk of Mollywood.
From a villain to hero in a span of just four years, how has been the journey?
I faced the camera for the first time for Prabhuvinte Makkal.I still remember the date, it was January 28, 2012. I played the role of Che Guevara Sudheendran in the movie. But it was my character Akhilesh Varma of ABCD that made audience sit up and take notice of me as an actor. My role wasn't that of a typical villain in it, but a man with grey shades. After that movie there was no looking back. I acted as a hero, comedian and villain in subsequent movies. However, my big break came with Ennu Ninte Moideen. My character Appu was well received. At present, my projects are Guppy, Godha, Ezra and Oru Mexican Aparadha. My roles in these are very different from what I had played earlier. I think I should not confine myself as someone who does only the hero roles. I look for variety in my roles and I would rather do a villainous or a comic role, which excites me than play a boring hero.
From a bearded man to a beefed up wrestler, you keep experimenting with your looks. Is it a conscious move?
I do it for my peace of mind. I believe that if my physique suits the role that I play, half my work is done. Once that part is taken care of, I have to just focus on my acting. This is a mechanism I adopt to prove myself that I am giving my 100% for the movie. When I grew a long beard, many people told me that I didn't look good with it. But that makeover wasn't to show me handsome but it was for the character I was playing in Guppy.
You play a wrestler in Godha. How was your experience of learning wrestling?
I learnt gatta gusthi from Minnal George for my role in Godha. It was really tough and I was injured on several occasions. However, I really enjoyed the process of learning a new skill. Isn't that a fantastic thing?
Do you find yourself in the characters you essay?
If someone asks me to tell about myself, I will have a lot of things to say. I love travelling and photography, so I enjoyed working in Guppy. I am fitness conscious and hit the gym regularly. Hence, it was easy for me to essay the role in You Too Brutus. I have also fallen in love 'and so on. In that way, I find my essence in every character I have essayed so far.
How do you rate yourself as an actor?
I have miles to go before I call myself an accomplished actor. I'm someone who is well aware of my limitations. When a character comes to me, I have certain expectation about the way I should act in those scenes. But every time when I see myself on the big screen, I feel I should have done better. I wish I could deliver the exact style of expressions as I had in my mind. For that, I need to observe, learn and work with the amazing talents in Mollywood.
Where do you see yourself after 10 years?
I don't make any long-term plans and take life as it is. But I wish to be in films even after 10 years. I have dreams and goals. But it will keep evolving as life progresses.
About the Malayalam film industry'
I am really glad that now we have a culture where everybody is growing together without ego clashes or selfish motives. I have experienced it personally. The first poster of next release was shared by Dulquer Salmaan and later by Vineeth Sreenivasan, Aashiq Abu, and Dileesh Pothen. So people from the industry are coming together to promote good films. This is a very positive thing.
Tell us about your family...
I have a beautiful family which includes my dad, mom, families of my brother and sister, my wife and daughter. My weekends are dedicated exclusively for them and it's celebration time at home. My daughter Izza is now six months old and she is everything to me. Though I am focusing more on movies, I try to strike a balance between both films and
family.