Palli Chattambi: Tovino Thomas set to play a church-appointed goon in Dijo Jose Antony’s period entertainer

Almost six years after it was first announced, the team of Tovino Thomas’ Palli Chattambi, which is scripted by S Suresh Babu and directed by Dijo Jose Antony, kicked off production on February 19.

The movie, which will be a big-budget entertainer, will be Tovino’s second period film this year after Ishq director Anuraj Manohar’s Narivetta that is expected to hit theatres in the coming months.

Tovino Thomas to play a ‘goonda’ in Palli Chattambi

The upcoming movie, which is backed by Worldwide Films’ Noufal and Brijesh, is reportedly set in 1957. In an earlier interview with OTTplay, Suresh Babu, who had previously scripted movies such as Dada Sahib, Shikkar, Kanal and Oruthee, told us that the movie is set against the backdrop of Vimochana Samaram, when the communist government had come to power in Kerala. “Tovino will be seen in the role of a goonda who is brought from the Malabar region by the church authorities in a village to protect their interest against the government,” he said.

While the team is yet to reveal the rest of the cast, we know that cinematographer Divakar Mani will be cranking the camera while Jakes Bejoy, who recently composed for Tovino’s Identity and Narivetta, will be its music director. Dijo had previously helmed Prithviraj Sukumaran's Jana Gana Mana and Nivin Pauly's Malayalee from India.

Tovino Thomas’ next release will be L2: Empuraan

The Minnal Murali actor’s next release, meanwhile, will be Mohanlal and Prithviraj's L2: Empuraan, which will have him reprise the role of Jathin Ramdas . In an earlier interview with OTTplay, Tovino said, “The reach that Lucifer gave me as an actor was huge. So, I didn’t have to think twice about being part of Empuraan. It also gave me an opportunity to share screen space with actors that I usually don’t get a chance to.”

L2: Empuraan, scripted by Murali Gopy, is set to hit theatres globally on March 27, 2025.