And The Oskar Goes To: Tovino Thomas is remarkable in this inspiring tale of a filmmaker

And The Oskar Goes To: Tovino Thomas is remarkable in this inspiring tale of a filmmaker

Award-winning filmmaker Salim Ahamed’s latest film ‘And The Oskar Goes To’ (ATOGT) starring Tovino Thomas has hit screens today. Let’s see what the film has to offer.

‘And The Oskar Goes To’ tells the story of a young filmmaker named Isaak Ebrahem. Out of his sheer passion for cinema, he struggles for years to get a breakthrough. Eventually, he decides to produce his own film, which is based on a true story. The film gets great reception and is declared as India’s official entry to the Oscars. From here, it’s the journey of how Isaak takes his film to the Academy and the efforts that goes behind it. Basically, if we dissect the film into two halves, the first half chronicles the struggle that an independent filmmaker endures and the latter half is about the lesser-known struggle that goes behind taking a film to the Oscar.

It is worth a mention that director Salim Ahamed’s debut film ‘Adaminte Makan Abu’ was chosen as India’s official entry for the best foreign film category in the 84th Academy Awards. So it is evident that he has taken inspirations from his own life and several other fellow filmmakers to script ‘ATOGT’. The first half was instantly relatable as we have seen and heard umpteen stories of an aspiring filmmaker’s struggle. Unlike the director’s other films, this one has a more commercial touch to it, major credits of which should go to charming Tovino Thomas.

Tovino’s earnest performance makes it easy for us to root for the character. Isaak Ebrahem is someone who doesn’t show his emotions openly, so Tovino expertly maintains a powerful restraint throughout. He shoulders the film so well, as he presents the pain and agony that the protagonist goes through in an extremely convincing manner. He started his career as an assistant director, so his years of struggle must have helped him relate to the character easily. This is easily among his finest performances till date.

Among the supporting cast, Siddique, Anu Sithara, Salim Kumar and the foreign actress Nikki Hulowski create an impression. Technically, ‘ATOGT’ was sound with apt cinematography by veteran Madhu Ambat and good music by Bijibal. The second half has a slight drag but the poignant ending manages to cover it up.

‘And The Oskar Goes To’ is a film that will inspire, entertain and even move you at times. It’s recommended for all those who wish to pursue their filmmaking dreams.