Tovino's dialogue delivery and body language while enacting various characters in the film leave everyone in awe.
Published:May 03, 2024
A poster of the film 'Nadikar'. (Supplied)

Jean Paul Lal aka Lal Jr’s directorial Driving Licence (2019) was based on a superstar who lands in trouble for not having a driving licence. Prithviraj Sukumaran played the superstar in the flick.
The film was a commercial hit and was remade into Hindi last year as Selfiee.
And now, Lal Jr has come up with yet another movie that revolves around a superstar; this time, a self-obsessed actor.
Nadikar narrates the story of a superstar named David Padikkal played by Tovino Thomas. The big-budget Malayalam movie has been in the news for various reasons.
The film showcases the film career of David Padikkal and how he tries to reinvent himself as an actor. Let’s see what Nadikar is all about:
Tovino and Soubin Shahir in ‘Nadikar’. (Supplied)
Despite having a luxurious life as a superstar in Malayalam cinema, David Padikkal has a haunting past.
Thanks to his stardom, he earns the tag of a troublemaker by creating issues at the shooting locations.
Though a womaniser, David is deeply in love with his co-star Ann (Bhavana).
The film invests a lot of time in establishing David Padikkal as a superstar. However, it makes for a riveting watch after the twist.
David isn’t a great actor. At one point, after an issue with a director, his manager Paili (Suresh Krishna) introduces David to Bala (Soubin Shahir), a theatre artist and a reputed acting teacher.
The entry of Bala into David Padikkal’s life is a game changer as the latter tries to learn his lessons and evolves.
Nadikar is all about David’s encounter with filmmakers and his decisions, which are byproducts of his ego.
Bhavana plays the female lead in ‘Nadikar’. (Supplied)
The script by Suvin S is a beautiful concoction of humour and emotions.
The comedy scenes involving Tovino Thomas, Balu Varghese, and Suresh Krishna leave the audience in splits.
Soubin Shahir’s Bala plays a major role in moulding David Padikkal, the superstar.
Bala reminds us of Jagathy Sreekumar’s character Pachalam in Udayananu Tharam (2005) who teaches superstar Saroj Kumar (played by Sreenivasan).
However, the only difference is that Pachalam is a fun-loving person and Bala is a serious person.
In a scene, David questions his stardom wondering, “When will I get a hit?” This is a pertinent question to ponder, especially at the time when an actor becomes a superstar just with the success of one or two films.
While the common audience may not be able to connect with the dialogues, they were essentially conversations between an actor and his manager, combined with some masala to engage the audience. This works to a certain extent in favour of the film.
Sadly, the movie normalises the drug usage by the protagonist. It portrays the superstars in a similar light.
The script gives importance to Tovino’s inner feelings and the deep wounds he suffered as an orphan.
Interestingly, the title card of Nadikar is presented in monochrome and reminds us of old films.
The music and background score by Yakzan Pereira are apt.
Alby Antony’s cinematography is another highlight as the movie is rich and has different colour tones.
The small villages in Kerala, the overseas locations, and the pub scenes are excellent.
Tovino Thomas as David Pallikal in ‘Nadikar’. (Supplied)
Tovino Thomas delivers an excellent performance as superstar David Padikkal.
The young actor gets under the skin of the character of a self-obsessed superstar with his issues.
His dialogue delivery and body language while enacting various characters in the film leave everyone in awe.
In the climax portion, Nadikar gets a bit emotional when David enacts a scene that happened in his childhood. The sequence shows how much being an orphan affected him.
Despite her limited screen time, Bhavana plays a prominent and impactful role.
She leaves a mark as Ann, a loud character who fearlessly shares her opinions and lives life on her terms.
Soubin Shahir, as Bala, is well-received by audiences. The actor has been criticised for his Kochi dialect. However, in Nadikar, his dialogue delivery and his performance win hearts.
Balu Varghese as Lenin, David’s assistant, is impressive.
Suresh Krishna, as Paili, plays a crucial role and is good in the comedy scenes.
Tovino Thomas adds yet another feather to his cap through Nadikar.
(Views expressed here are personal.)

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