![]()
Tovino Thomas teams up with director Dijo Jose Antony for ‘Pallichattambi’, a fictional period drama set in 1957-58 Kerala amidst socio-political shifts. Thomas plays a protector of the church, focusing on humanity. He also confirmed his exit from the Telugu film ‘Dragon’ due to scheduling conflicts, preferring Malayalam cinema’s faster pace. The film releases April 10.
Tovino Thomas is teaming up with the ‘Jana Gana Mana’ director Dijo Jose Antony for the first time, in the upcoming movie ‘Pallichattambi’. In a recent interview, Tovino Thomas revealed some interesting details about his upcoming film which has Kayadu Lohar in the female lead.
Tovino Thomas on the plot of ‘Pallichattambi’
Tovino Thomas was asked about tbasic storyline in an interview with IANS and he replied, “I was very excited when I listened to the script. But the thing is, I don’t think I should give away much about the storyline and all, because it might affect the audience’s movie-going experience.”The ‘Minnal Murali’ actor added that the film is set in 1957-58, a time when Kerala was seeing major socio-political changes and resistances.
However he made it clear that the story itself is completely fictional.
Real events vs fiction
Tovino explained that the makers only took inspiration from real events of that period. He stressed that nothing in the film is a direct depiction of actual history.“But we have tried to make our fiction as believable as possible. And the inspiration from the real-life scenarios that happened at that point of time has helped a lot,” he explained.
The actor was careful not to reveal too many spoilers.
Tovino Thomas’ character in the film
Tovino said his character comes from outside to a village where the story unfolds. He plays a ‘Palli Chettambi’, someone who comes to protect the church.“What happens in this village after he comes there and how he understands life. How he makes people understand life. The only politics that we are trying to tell in this movie is humanity,” he said.
Exit from Telugu film ‘Dragon’
During a promotional event in Hyderabad, Tovino confirmed he is no longer doing the big Telugu film ‘Dragon’ with Jr NTR and Prashant Neel.The ‘Lokah’ actor said, “It is really hard to allocate dates, so I am not doing it.” He further explained his working style, “I don’t do multiple films at the same time. In Malayalam, we usually complete a film in a single schedule. But in Telugu, it takes almost a year to finish one project. That’s why I’m not doing straight Telugu films. I can commit 3 months, not an entire year.”Meanwhile, ‘Pallichattambi’ is a period action entertainer set against the backdrop of changing times in Kerala and the film is scheduled to hit screens on April 10.
Watch
How Malayalam Cinema Quietly Dominated Indian Cinema in 2025

