CROSS currents
GQ India|August 2020
A well-told story is going to be a straight hit, regardless of language, scale or budget. As you might’ve discovered during your quarantine binge-watch, it’s an axiom upheld by a bold new generation of film-makers and actors from the South Indian film industries. Few others are systematically scripting content that is hyperlocal and aesthetically global all at once, and helping unfamiliar audiences caper past that “one-inch-tall barrier of subtitles”. Meet five eminently watchable actors fronting Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada cinema, as they dwell on their extraordinary journeys and why, pandemic or not, breaking the mould is a full-time job.
NIDHI GUPTA
CROSS currents

Tovino thomas

31, Kochi

HOME RUN: Since his debut in the 2012 film Prabhuvinte Makkal, Tovino Thomas’ rise has been mercurial. In a series of power-packed performances in critically acclaimed films like Luca, Godha and Virus, Thomas has essayed characters from all ends of the morality spectrum in Malayalam cinema. This year, he blew us away again in Akhil Paul and Anas Khan’s Forensic. “It could’ve been my biggest commercial hit till date, but it was released just before the lockdown. I’m glad it’s got good ratings on Netflix though.”

HERO WORSHIP: Apart from growing up with the cinema of Mammootty and Mohanlal, Thomas remembers idolising Kamal Haasan. “Before cinema happened for me,” he says, “I once came across Haasan in a hotel cafe in Mumbai. I felt compelled to talk to him so my friends and I went up to him. He spent quite a long time chatting with us. With me, he spoke in Malayalam, in Tamil to a friend from Tamil Nadu, in English to a couple of NRI friends and in Hindi to the friend from North India. So eloquent and insightful.”

WINDS OF CHANGE: As Thomas sees it, the “new wave” of Malayalam cinema is more about “how the content is treated, because we’ve never been deprived of good content. The difference between commercial and art-house cinema is now leaner, films are doing well in both the festival circuit as well in theatres.” But as different genres come up with a hybrid model of formula and art films, he says it’d be wise to keep in mind that “there will always be a ‘new wave’, compared to what currently exists.”

Bu hikaye GQ India dergisinin August 2020 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

Bu hikaye GQ India dergisinin August 2020 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

GQ INDIA DERGISINDEN DAHA FAZLA HIKAYETümünü görüntüle
The 30 Best Watches Of 2024
GQ India

The 30 Best Watches Of 2024

Rounding up the best shapes, materials, complications and sizes from this year's horological novelty treasure chest.

time-read
10+ dak  |
October - November 2024
Wes Lang's Heroes of Love...
GQ India

Wes Lang's Heroes of Love...

Last month, LA-based artist Wes Lang unveiled The Black Paintings, a monumental series of works that play like storyboards to a raucous midnight horror movieand a spiritual quest. Here, GQ collaborates with the artist on a fashion story that brings his stylish characters off the canvas.

time-read
8 dak  |
October - November 2024
The Miraculous Resurrection of Notre Dame
GQ India

The Miraculous Resurrection of Notre Dame

In 2019, a fire nearly destroyed the crown jewel of France-and the nation set a breakneck five-year deadline to bring it back from the ashes. This is the story of how an army of artisans turned back centuries to restore Notre-Dame by hand, and wound up reviving something even greater than the cathedral itself.

time-read
10+ dak  |
October - November 2024
"IT'S NOT ABOUT BEING PERFECT. IT'S ABOUT BEING REVOLUTIONARY."
GQ India

"IT'S NOT ABOUT BEING PERFECT. IT'S ABOUT BEING REVOLUTIONARY."

Beyoncé Knowles-Carter talks business, legacy, art, and family

time-read
10+ dak  |
October - November 2024
The Wedding Singers
GQ India

The Wedding Singers

Madboy Mink's dynamic duo, Saba Azad and Imaad Shah, redefine festive style.

time-read
5 dak  |
October - November 2024
A Watch Is More Than Just a Pretty Face
GQ India

A Watch Is More Than Just a Pretty Face

As collectors look to make their grail watches stand out, they're turning to unique vintage bracelets and paying thousands on thousands for straps on the secondary market.

time-read
3 dak  |
October - November 2024
The Fluidity of Cartier
GQ India

The Fluidity of Cartier

Why Gen Z stars are obsessed with this historic maison.

time-read
2 dak  |
October - November 2024
A Princess with Passion
GQ India

A Princess with Passion

From restoring monuments to reviving hereditary crafts, Bhavnagar's Brijeshwari Kumari Gohil has her sights on the future.

time-read
6 dak  |
October - November 2024
THE FUTURE SOUNDS LIKE AT EEZ
GQ India

THE FUTURE SOUNDS LIKE AT EEZ

The Coachella-slaying, multi-language-singing, genre-obliterating members of Ateez are quickly becoming load-bearing stars of our global pop universe.

time-read
10 dak  |
August - September 2024
DEMNA UNMASKED
GQ India

DEMNA UNMASKED

He's the most influential designer of the past decade. He's also the most controversial. Now the creative director of Balenciaga is exploring a surprising source of inspiration: happiness. GQ's Samuel Hine witnesses the dawn of Demna's new era, in Paris, New York, and Shanghai. Photographs by Jason Nocito.

time-read
10+ dak  |
August - September 2024