Tovino Thomas

Debut and early work (2012-2014)

Tovino Thomas made his acting debut in Prabhuvinte Makkal (2012) directed by Sajeev Anthikkad.^[13] Subsequently, he worked as an assistant director in Roopesh Peethambaran's Theevram. In ABCD: American-Born Confused Desi (2013) he portrayed the role of the antagonist. Tovino played one of the leads in the film Koothara, which also featured Mohanlal.^[14] Again, he was cast in an important role in Roopesh Peethambaran's second directorial venture You Too Brutus.^[15]

He has played roles in the films including 7th Day (2014) and Charlie (2015).^{[citation needed]}

Breakthrough and recognition (2015-2019)

In 2015, he portrayed the role of Perumparambil Appu in the film Ennu Ninte Moideen which was widely appreciated and received critical acclaim for his performance. He won his first Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Ennu Ninte Moideen.^[16]

He played the role of Engineer Thejus Varky in Guppy (2016) which was well received by audiences upon the DVD and digital release.^[17] He won the New Sensational Hero Award at the NAFA 2017 for his performance in the film.^[18]

He played the lead role in Oru Mexican Aparatha, Godha, and Mayanadi in 2017. He won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor – Malayalam and Behindwoods Critics Award for Best Actor for Mayanadi.^[19][20] The film was praised for the way it tackled with sexuality and was included in The Hindu's top 25 Malayalam films of the decade.^[21] The same year he appeared in Ezra in a major supporting role.

In 2018, Tovino Thomas was cast in a major role in Maari 2 with Dhanush which was his Tamil debut.^[22] His major Malayalam releases for the year includes Theevandi, Ente Ummante Peru, and Oru Kuprasidha Payyan. Tovino had major roles in Lucifer, Uyare and Virus in 2019. His film Uyare was released in South Korea, becoming the first Malayalam film to do so.^[23] His other releases in the year were And the Oscar Goes To..., Luca, Kalki, and Edakkad Battalion 06.

Established actor (2020–present)

In 2020, he played the lead role in the crime thriller Forensic with Mamta Mohandas, which received a good response from the audience and was a major box office success.^[24]

In 2021, his first release was Kala which was his second venture as a producer. The film received critical acclaim for its narrative.^[25] Kaanekkaane released in 2021, received a positive response and critical acclaim for its narrative and performance by its cast.^[26] He starred as the titular character in Minnal Murali, which is the first Malayalam superhero action film, released by Netflix on 24 December.^[27] He received immense praise for his work in the film and the movie was also declared as 'Streaming success'.^[28] and surpassed the records of most viewed Malayalam Film on OTT previously held by Drishyam 2.^[29]

In 2022, Tovino appeared in Naaradan, Dear Friend, Vaashi, and Thallumaala. The latter film proved to be a commercial success.

In 2023, he starred in Neelavelicham, in which he portrayed the role of Vaikom Muhammad Basheer, that film was considered a flop and in 2018, which collected 176 crore and became the 4th Highest grossing Malayalam film ever.^[30]

In 2024, he starred in films like Anweshippin Kandethum, Nadikar and A.R.M.. The latter became Tovino's first solo 100 crore grosser.

In 2025, he starred in Identity which under performed significantly at the box office despite a high budget, followed by L2: Empuraan, where he reprised his role as Jathin Ramdas. He did a guest appearance in Basil Joseph starrer Maranamass, which was produced under his banner Tovino Thomas Productions. The same year, he played the role of a police officer in Anuraj Manohar's sophomore directorial Narivetta, which was based on the 2003 Muthanga incident and its aftermath. He played the role of Chathan(goblin) in an extended cameo in the Kalyani Priyadarshan starrer Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra, in which his performance gained praise.

His further films include Pallichattambi, directed by Dijo Jose Antony which was released in April 2026, Athiradi directed by Arun Anirudhan starring Basil Joseph and Vineeth Sreenivasan alongside him, as well as Lokah Chapter 2: Chathan directed by Dominic Arun, which is a direct sequel of the 2025 superhero action film blockbuster Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra.

As actor

Voice actor

Music Videos

As playback singer

As producer