When news of India’s official Oscar entry broke this morning, one of the lead actors of the chosen movie, a Malayalam film titled 2018, was not in his hometown. Tovino Thomas, who played the crucial character of a happy-go-lucky man turning hero at the time of a disaster, was in Amsterdam of The Netherlands to receive an award for his role in the same movie. He came online within a few hours, appearing overjoyed about the ‘double dhamaka’ of the two recognitions that the movie got.
“Only yesterday, I received the Septimius Awards (in the Netherlands) for Best Asian Actor. Today, I woke up to the news of 2018 being chosen as India’s entry to the Oscars. It is an international acclaim that you wish and dream of as an artist. I am so happy and want to share that joy with all of you,” Tovino said on an Instagram live as his colleagues and fans began conversing through comments.
Thanking them all, Tovino shared that a lot of effort had gone into the making of 2018, and recalled how the first payback came when it was so well received. The film was based on the real-life events during the devastating Kerala floods of 2018 that killed hundreds and wrecked homes.
“2018 became a personal film for Malayalis, who could relate to the sufferings and struggles they went through during the disaster. This film was made to remind you all of the unity with which the people of Kerala faced it, that is what people are celebrating. It deserves even more recognition and appreciation,” he added. His only sorrow was that he was not home both on the day the film was released and the day the Oscar selection came, he said.
Tovino was one of the few Malayalam actorsto speak about The Kerala Story, a film that was released on the same day as 2018, but showed Kerala in an inaccurate light. “This is not the story of my state, and cinema is an art form for entertainment which should not be misused,” Tovino had said back then.