Tovino Thomas is all excited to play the villain opposite Dhansuh in Maari 2

Recently, Dhanush took everyone by surprise by announcing promising Malayalam actor Tovino Thomas as the villain in Maari 2. The announcement was least expected as Tovino alreay has a handful of projects in his kitty. He is foraying into Kollywood this year with Abiyum Anuvum, a Tamil-Malayalam bilingual directed by BR Vijayalakshmi.

Tovino is thrilled about playing the villain opposite a big star like Dhanush. Although the actor has earlier played negative roles in films like ABCD and Style, this will be his first such role after establishing himself as a bankable actor. The actor is now riding on the back of a string of successful films like Ezra, Oru Mexican Aparatha and Godha.

Maari, directed by Balaji Mohan was released in 2015. The action-comedy drama had Dhanush playing the titular role. Despite releasing amid huge hype, the movie could emerge only as a mediocre success. It is not common for an average grosser to have a sequel but Maari, the character, and Anirudh’s music was a rage among the youngsters, which has inspired the makers for a sequel.

Director Balaji Mohan has said that be enjoyed sketching Tovino’s villain character, which according to him is a very interesting one. The villain role in the first part, played by Vijay Yesudas, was the movie’s weakest link. So apparently, the director has taken extra care this time to place a strong antagonist opposite the powerful Maari.

This is Tovino’s third time association with Dhanush. The latter is producing two of Tovino’s upcoming movies – Tharangam and Maradona – under his banner Wunderbar Studios. The same banner is also producing Maari 2.