After learning gusthi, Tovino takes up the next challenge ' kalari

Tovino's look for his upcoming film Chengazhi Nambiyar has been creating waves all over the online world. The latest we got to know is that the actor will be learning kalari for the film, directed by Sidhil Subramanian, which will be based on kalaripayattu.
Says Tovino, 'My character is called Puthumana Panikkar and he is like a second-in-command to Chengazhi Nambiyar, the title character. The kalari guru who has trained the likes of Jackie Chan will be with us throughout the shoot.And yes, I will be learning kalari for the film and will be taking a break for it. I want to do it properly, after learning, not just do something. This is a big budget film, not some 'thattikoottu' action film. I have never learnt any martial arts except some gusthi for Godha, and it sure is going to be a challenge.'
The film, he adds, has a very interesting story. 'Chengazhi Nambiyar was a real-life warrior who lived during the age of the Samoothiris. His family as well as Puthumana Panikkar's family was against the Samoothiris. During a mamankam festival which happens once in 12 years, Chengazhi and his chaverppada (suicide squad) of 101 kalari experts fought the Samoothiri's warriors and reached his nilapaduthara. That was a kind of success because no one had reached that point till date.'
Puthumana Panikkar's character is as important as that of Chengazhi in the film, which will be played by another lead actor. The actor has already been decided but will be revealed only later on, as the project will take off only by 2018. The director Sidhil, adds more details. 'More actors will be joining the cast, and we propose to take in Bollywood actors as well. Our aim is to showcase Kerala's kalari tradition of the Malabar area and we have been researching on the subject for years,' he says.