Tovino Thomas Reveals Church Set So Real an Elderly Woman Prayed There

Actor Tovino Thomas revealed that a meticulously constructed church set for the upcoming film 'Pallichattambi' was so authentic that an elderly woman mistakenly offered prayers there. The film, set in the 1950s, required extensive research through old photographs and books as the team had no first-hand reference for the period. A large portion of a village, including shops, buildings, and a junction, was built on the bank of a dam in Thodupuzha to create the realistic setting. Thomas expressed that while the crew felt bad for the misunderstanding, they were also secretly pleased by how convincing their set design was.

Key Points: Tovino Thomas on Realistic 'Pallichattambi' Church Set

  • Film set in 1950s era
  • Entire village set built in Thodupuzha
  • Church interior and exterior constructed
  • Set built on a dam bank
  • Director Dijo Jose Antony praised
2 min read

Tovino Thomas on how a church set for 'Pallichattambi' was so good that an old person thought it to be real! (IANS Exclusive)

Malayalam star Tovino Thomas shares how a film set for 'Pallichattambi' was mistaken for a real church, leading an elderly woman to pray there.

"We were sad that she had misconstrued the set to be a church but we didn't have the courage to go and tell her - Tovino Thomas"

Chennai, April 2

Actor Tovino Thomas, who plays the lead in director Dijo Jose Antony's upcoming big budget Malayalam action entertainer 'Pallichattambi', has now disclosed how a church set erected for the film was so realistic that an elderly person mistook it to be a real church and offered prayers there.

During an exclusive interview to IANS, actor Tovino Thomas was asked about the challenges faced by the unit in recreating the era of 1958 -- the time period the story is set in.

Responding to the question, the actor said, "While I was shooting for 'Anweshippin Kandhethum', the story was set in the nineties. I am an 89 born person. So, I had a little more knowledge about the nineties because I have seen it in movies and I have seen it in person as well. But for this film, the story is set in the fifties. 1950s is something that I have no clue about. Even my father was not born in 1950. He was born in 1952. So, we could only take references from old photographs, descriptions from old books. That's how the set work was done."

He then went on to give details of how a whole area in Thodupuzha was transformed into one portion of a village and how they shot for several days in that set itself.

"So, we had to construct a church. And not just the exterior of the church, the interior of the church also. And we remember, while shooting, one old lady came and actually prayed there. We were sad that she had misconstrued the set to be a church but we didn't have the courage to go and tell her that this was not an actual church because a prayer is a prayer anyway. But at the same time, we were low-key happy that the set was very convincing," he informed.

He went on to add, "While shooting there, our director did a brilliant job. They had so many shops and buildings and this church along with a junction. So, it looked so real as if a village existed there. But it was nothing but the bank of a dam, nothing else and it was transformed into this."

- IANS

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Reader Comments

A
Arjun K
The level of detail in Malayalam cinema is just next level. From the story, it sounds like they've put in a lot of research for the 1950s era. Hats off to the production design team. Tovino is a great actor, and Dijo Jose Antony's previous work was good. Expecting a blockbuster.
R
Rohit P
While the effort is impressive, I hope they were respectful of the lady's feelings after they realized the mistake. Faith is a very personal thing. They should have gently informed her after her prayer was done, no? Just a thought.
M
Michael C
As someone who works in theatre, I can appreciate the sheer amount of work that goes into period-accurate set design. Transforming a dam bank into a 1950s village is no small feat. Kudos to the team. The anecdote about the old lady is the ultimate validation for any set designer!
S
Shreya B
Thodupuzha is such a beautiful place. Can't wait to see how it looks in the film. Malayalam cinema is truly leading the way in storytelling and technical excellence. Tovino's choice of scripts is always interesting. Wishing the whole team all the best! 🤩
K
Karthik V
"A prayer is a prayer anyway." What a lovely and respectful way to look at it. The story highlights the cultural fabric of Kerala where such scenes are possible. Hope the film does justice to the era it's trying to portray. The bar for period films is set very high after the likes of 'Marakkar' and 'Pazhassi Raja'.

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