'Minnal Murali' actor Tovino Thomas reveals why he rejected Aamir Khan's 'Laal Singh Chaddha'- Exclusive

The Malayalam actor talks about letting go of Aamir Khan’s Laal Singh Chadha and the rise of Malayalam cinema to pan-India prominence.One of the major perks of the OTT boom is the pan-India presence of regional films, one of them being Malayalam cinema. And Malayalam actor Tovino Thomas seconds it.He elaborates, “Earlier, only the Malayalam diaspora across the globe or people in Kerala would watch Malayalam movies. We always wanted people to watch our films but we never had plans to distribute them. The audience can be sceptical about watching a film when it’s an alien language but OTT proved to be a game changer for Malayalam films.”

According to Thomas, the emergence of several OTT players has also helped battle piracy. “People can now watch a film on the day of its release on a platform, legally,” says the actor who will next be seen in Minnal Murali that is set to release on .

The 32-year-old believes that exploration of superhero films can further help regional and Indian content gain a global recognition. “We see a lot of superhero movies and series made outside India. Here, we’ve immense possibilities to make projects in this genre. We can try and do crossovers also,” he says.
Talking about trying his hands at Bollywood, the Uyare (2019) actor reveals that he had to let go of Laal Singh Chadha. “I wanted to do it as the character demanded a South Indian actor but I couldn’t because of date issues. I wasn’t very happy that I had to say no but at the same time, I don’t regret the decision as I didn’t have any other option,” he admits.

But Tovino quickly adds that he wouldn’t do a Hindi film only for the sake of it. “Bollywood is already blessed with very good actors. If the character demands me or a film needs me, I would love to be a part of it,” he ends.