5 Tovino Thomas Malayalam movies you must watch on OTT platforms

One of the big releases of the week has to be the Malayalam movie Naradan, starring the ever impressive Tovino Thomas and Anna Ben. The Aashiq Abu directorial, revolves around Malayalam broadcast journalism, will stream on Amazon Prime Video from April 8.

Naradan created quite a buzz when it released in the theatres in the first week of March. And come to think of it, almost all of Tovino Thomas releases in recent times have had a great run. The actor, who made his screen debut just a decade back through Prabhuvinte Makkal has made impressive strides. In a short span, he is getting to the star status highly coveted by most actors.

In the event, we have picked five of his movies that is worth catching up on the streaming platforms. We have left out his biggest hit, Minnal Murali. The Malayalam superhero film, which streamed directly on Netflix, was among the talked about films from last year. His last release was Kurup. This Dulquer Salmaan starrer had Tovino playing a blink and miss role. So Kurup (Netflix) is also not in our list. Others that didn't make our cut (only due to the fact because we have restricted ourselves to five choices) are: Mayanadhi (SunNXT), Forensic (Netflix), And The Oscar Goes To (Zee5), Uyare (Netflix) and Kala (Amazon Prime Video). 

Our choices, mainly for the variety, is: Kilometers and Kilometers, Virus, Ente Ummante Peru, Tharangam and Kaanekkaane. All the movies are in Malayalam.

Kilometers and Kilometers

Synopsis: This is a quintessential 'road' movie but the accent is on situational comedy and evolved humour based on real-life contretemps. 

As it is well-known now, the film's title borrows from the popular Mohanlal dialogue from his yesteryear film Mazha Peyyunnu Maddalam Kottunnu. The story is about the escapades of an American woman who comes to Kerala and sets out on a trip from Kottayam to the rest of India by road with the bungling and bumbling Josemon, played with felicity by Tovino Thomas. His character is, of course, the centre point.

The film is also a  tale of discovery for the two protagonists. During their journey, their personalities clash amid culture shocks and they both gain new perspectives. This leads to a warm bond of friendship despite the vast differences in culture and world view.

Virus

Synopsis: The movie is set in the backdrop of the 2018 Nipah virus attack and the manner in which Kerala handled it without allowing it to spread. The movie was shot in a single schedule at the Government Medical College in Kozhikode and featured some of the top actors from Malayalam cinema. The story features a man who gets admitted to hospital and dies thereafter after passing on a unknown virus to 18 other people. 

The movie takes us through a tension-filled few days as doctors and staff battle the virus using isolation and treatment protocols. In fact, it was this real life experience that helped Kerala tackle the Covid-19 virus more effectively. 

This is not a movie with Tovino Thomas in the lead. We have included it to drive home the point that the up and coming star can hold his own in the company of a gaggle of performers.

Tharangam

Synopsis: This is Tamil actor Dhanush's first attempt at producing a Malayalam movie. For the record, Tovino Thomas made his Tamil debut in Maari 2 as a villain. That movie too was from Dhanush's stable.

When we caught Tharangam recently, we were highly impressed by the black comedy that subverts the masala genre intelligently. The stylized narration, is also flecked with fantasy and magic realism. It is also filled with zany oddball characters. 

In this interesting mix, Tovino Thomas, playing a hapless cop, up against the system as well his own bumbling ways, is remarkable. His ability to dish out humour --- a yardstick to any good acting --- came across very nicely. One of his underrated performances to-date, we would say. The brawny Tovino was also well utilised in some action set-pieces.

Ente Ummante Peru

Synopsis: This is the life-affirming story of a man in his mid-20s in search of his biological mother. For a tale steeped in emotions, the movie is well served by its humour muscle as the byplay between Tovino Thomas and Urvashi is so endearing.

Tovino Thomas cracked the man longing for man's love, and he also nailed the Malabar accent. This funny, heartwarming tale was well served by the chemistry between Tovino and Urvashi. 

"And, his ability to look charming in a slightly dimwit character, devoid of any larger than life gimmicks, in this stage of his career is one of the best aspects about him as an actor," wrote one critic about Tovino in this film. This is for the sentimental buffs. 

Kaanekkaane

Synopsis: This moody thriller was among the sleeper hits of last year. It really impressed us for its dexterity in fitting in a suspenseful story within a family emotion tale. It is a cat and mouse exchanges between an enigmatic man and his  guilt-ridden son-in-law.

Kaanekkaane is about how lives can be altered forever with a single decision, how guilt or bitterness can consume people, about the pulls, pushes and complexities of relationships.

The film belonged to Suraj Venjaramoodu as the phlegmatic but vengeful father-in-law. But Tovino Thomas got a lot of acting brownie points for his role of a doting dad, husband, and son-in-law. He kept the performance low-key, showing it to the world that he can show-boat as he did in, say, Kala, or keep end his going without frills or fancy, but still be effective. We reiterate, this is among our favourite films of last year.

• Bheeshma Parvam, Hey Sinamika, Sharmaji Namkeen lead OTT releases