‘I was afraid of the dark’: Tovino Thomas recalls how ‘Manichitrathazo’ haunted his childhood
Despite inspiring several remakes over the years, including ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa’, ‘Manichitrathazhu’ still holds a special place among Malayalam audiences. The Mohanlal-starrer remains one of the most popular psychological thrillers in Malayalam cinema and is certainly a classic.
Tovino Thomas recently revisited one of his earliest cinematic memories while promoting his latest release, ‘Balan: The Boy’. Looking back on his childhood, the actor recalls how watching Manichitrathazhu in theaters left a lasting impact on him.Speaking to Club FM about the experience, Tovino said: “I watched many films in theaters during my childhood, but Manichitrathazhu is the film that has stayed with me ever since. For some time after watching it, I was afraid to walk alone in the dark.”
Cinema has always been a family tradition
Tovino also shared that his love for films was due to his upbringing. Cinema has always been an important part of family life, with visits to the theater becoming a tradition during family celebrations.He explained that even before he and his siblings were born, his parents would regularly watch movies together. As the family grew, organizing these outings became more difficult. But their enthusiasm for cinema never faded.
Sharing those memories, Tovino said, “My family has always loved watching movies. Whenever there is a wedding in the family, it is a tradition that everyone goes to the theater together. Even before my siblings and I were born, my parents never missed the opportunity to watch movies.”
Weekend movie nights formed his passion
As frequent trips to theaters became less practical, Tovino’s father found another way to maintain the family’s cinema tradition. Bought a video cassette player.
And make sure to set aside weekends for watching movies at home.The actor remembers spending hours rewatching rented cassette tapes with his brother. Such experiences shaped his passion for cinema.Recalling those days, he said: “As we got older, it became difficult for the whole family to go to the theater together. So my father bought a VCR. He would rent video tapes every Friday, and we would spend the weekends watching movies.
My brother and I would watch these movies over and over again. I think this is where my passion for cinema started.”On the work front, Tovino Thomas’s last outing was in ‘Balan: The Boy’. Directed by Chidambaram and written by Jeethu Madhavan, the Malayalam psychological drama film features Adhishan KR, Farzana Palathingal, Mohamed Zainan, Jean-Paul Lal, Girish AD, and Tovino in important roles.According to Sacnilk estimates, the global collection of ‘Balan: The Boy’s’ currently stands at Rs 24.26 crore.