What happened to South Indian actor Tovino, how badly is he injured?

A day after Malayalam actor Tovino Thomas was admitted into a hospital in Kochi after sustaining injuries while working on the sets of his new film ‘Kala’, his Dubai-based cousin told Gulf News that the actor is still in the Intensive Care Unit and is likely to be shifted into his room on October 9th evening. “He had complained of stomach ache two days ago and assumed that the pain would subside on its own. But when he went to the hospital, he realised that there was an internal bleeding and he is now in sedation to ensure rest and lack of movement,” said his cousin Sinto Varghese.

Varghese, who works in a private shipping firm and runs his own business ventures, is in constant touch with his first cousin’s family. “There’s no need to panic. He needs to take plenty of rest in the next two weeks. The doctors believe that he shouldn’t move and the bleeding is likely to stop,” he added.

Apparently, Thomas was injured while doing action sequences on the sets of ‘Kala’ last week, but continued with his normal activities for two days before realising that there was an internal bleeding stemming from that injury. “He even used to do a daily work out for over two hours without realising that there was an injury. But we are all hoping that he gets better soon. He’s likely to shifted from the ICU to his room, followed by two weeks of rest,” said Varghese.

Thomas, who is a regular visitor to Dubai and has premiered films such as ‘And The Oscar Goes To’ and promoted ‘Lucifer’ in this region, is one of Malayalam film’s most bankable stars. The 34-year-old actor has led blockbusters such as the stirring romance ‘Mayanadhi’ and ‘Theevandi’ to the finish line. “I urge all fans not to panic. Tovino should be fine soon,” said Varghese.

The actor is very involved in his scenes. And this isn’t the first time he's hurt himself while filming. He was injured on the sets of the movie 'Edakkad Batallion' 06 last year while performing a fire sequence.

Tovino is used to playing intense characters. In the thriller Forensic, released earlier this year, he played the role of a legal advisor in the Kerala Police Department.

Thomas has some interesting films coming up. He’s the hero of ‘Minnal Murali’, tipped to be Malayalam cinema’s first superhero film, led by Dubai-based producer Sophia Paul. The actor and the team of ‘Minnal Murali’ were in the news this May after their elaborate sets to film their fantasy flick was vandalised by right-wing groups. “A violent act like this is unprecedented in a state like Kerala. Apart from the emotional turmoil, the senseless destruction has cost me more than Rs80 lakhs [Dh387,724],” said Paul in an exclusive interview with Gulf News earlier in May. Paul had constructed the sets of a church in Kalady to film the climax of her film ‘Minnal Murali’.

He is also up for a triple role in ‘Ajayante Randam Moshanam’ , a movie directed by Jithin Lal. He will also be seen in ‘Karachi 81’, and ‘Ajayante Randam Moshanam’.

Tovino made his debut in the 2012 movie ‘Prabhuvinte Makkal’, where he played the antagonist. This landed him a role that he’s known more for – a gangster in ‘Style’.

Did you know? Acting was not Tovino’s first job. He worked in a tech firm for a while before deciding a 9-5 job was not for him. But he was under a geas. He had a year to make something of himself in the industry or return to the corporate world. Guess the ultimatum worked.