Latest news with #Bromance
Daily Mail
9 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE A top MAGA defector has told me the REAL revenge Elon's plotting... it could destroy Trump's legacy: KENNEDY
If you thought the Dakota Johnson-Chris Martin split was the heartbreak of the week, hold onto your black MAGA hat, because we're witnessing The Great Divorce. The long-predicted separation of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk is here. Love-blind optimists always prayed that the world's most powerful man and the world's richest man could keep their curious bromance alive, and the teary-eyed, televised Oval Office farewell that Elon received on Friday seemed to suggest that there was hope for these political darlings.
New Indian Express
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Acting was something I felt I should never do: Sangeeth Prathap
What was the moment in your life when you realised cinema was your calling? My father, Prathap Kumar, was a cinematographer and worked as an associate with Jayanan Vincent. I grew up hearing stories about cinema and his experiences on the sets. I suppose that's where the thought of coming into cinema first took root, somewhere in the back of my mind. Editing is a difficult skill to master. What made you choose editing as your career? Even though cinema was my passion, I also wanted the security of a proper job and income. So, instead of jumping straight into filmmaking and its uncertainties, I chose to study BSc Animation. Editing was one of the subjects in our course. When I edited a trailer for the first time, everyone liked it, and I realised I enjoyed editing far more than 2D or 3D animation. Maybe it was again that pull towards cinema because editing was the only part of the course directly related to feature films. After the course, I got placed in an animation company, but the income wasn't what I had hoped for. So I began editing wedding videos. It paid better, and I enjoyed it more. From there, I started editing short films, and eventually, cinema happened. Could you elaborate on your big break? I started as an associate editor on Swathanthryam Ardharathriyil and later worked independently on Pathrosinte Padappukal. Before that, I was an associate and spot editor for about 10-12 films. Anoop Kannan, my father's friend and a director-producer, recommended me to editor Shameer Muhammed. The reason I got to work as an associate editor in my very first film was because Thomas P Sebastian, who was the associate editor of the film at the time, had to leave for another project, That opened a slot for me. Thomas is also the co-writer of Bromance.
New Indian Express
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Mathew Thomas Interview: Bromance response taught me there's a line you shouldn't cross in commercial cinema
Mathew Thomas had a very accidental entry into cinema. "A career in cinema was not even in the wildest of dreams," chuckles Mathew today. It was his adolescent curiosity that lead him to this world. When the 10th-grade student attended auditions for a new film held in his school, he had no idea of what destiny had in store. The film was Kumbalangi Nights (2019), and the role he bagged— Franky, the youngest of the Napolean brothers. It was a carefully curated launch that helped Mathew learn and absorb from some of the finest talents around. There has been no looking back since then. "It has been an exciting journey so far. I never even imagined being an actor, but in these six years, I haven't come across anything that's even remotely as exciting as this." With a strong appetite to learn and improve, Mathew says he adopts multiple means to hone his skills. It can be through watching films or attending workshops, or purely by observing his fellow actors. "Watching films is my primary source of inspiration. I gain something out of each film and try to incorporate these learnings wherever they suit. It might succeed or backfire, but I feel it's important to experiment and upgrade because everything in cinema is achieved through a trial-and-error process. You can't be guaranteed anything in this business." Mathew's latest release in Malayalam, Bromance, saw him experimenting in a space that he hadn't ventured before. He plays Binto, a youngster with Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED), a condition that triggers repeated episodes of impulsive and violent behavior that are out of proportion to the situation. While some lauded Mathew's performance, a section of the audience felt it was exaggerated and annoyingly loud. The trolls have grown nastier post the film's recent digital premiere on Sony LIV. While most break under such panning, Mathew is pragmatic enough to understand where the comments are coming from. "As per the brief, Binto has a high BP issue and gets riled up easily. When triggered, he acts illogically and makes absurd decisions. The emotional layers were added on the go, and it was quite a challenge to portray his complexities. I agree when people say the performance went overboard because that's what we also intended. But what I didn't realise is how the performance would look visually on a big screen. We could have toned it down, but we erred in judging the aesthetics," admits Mathew, adding, "But I don't regret it because I did it with total conviction. I've now learnt that there's a line you shouldn't cross in a commercial film, however over-the-top the character is. That's my takeaway from this whole episode." Bromance is Mathew's fourth outing with director Arun D Jose after Jo and Jo (2022), 18+ Journey of Love (2023), and Samadhana Pusthakam (2024), which the filmmaker just wrote. Mathew says their rapport goes beyond just being an actor and a director. "I've known Arun from Prakashan Parakkatte (2022), in which he was the chief associate. I trust his skills and vision, and we're also good friends, which makes it much easier. If you take Bromance, most of them on the team are my friends. Sangeeth (Prathap) ettan, cinematographer Akhil George, editor Chaman (Chakko), writers Raveesh (Nath) and Thomas (Sebastian)... these are people with whom I can discuss things beyond cinema." So, does working with friends make the process a lot easier? "Yes, you can say that, because with friends, there is a certain comfort factor. You have the freedom to experiment and improvise. At the same time, I also love working with a new team because I get introduced to fresher working styles. It's crucial to grow as an artist."
Indian Express
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Mathew Thomas says there is no connection between SS Rajamouli's Eega and his film Lovely: ‘The fly in that film had a hero vibe'
Actor Mathew Thomas is gearing up for the release of his film Lovely, which is scheduled to hit the big screen on May 16. The story centers on Mathew's character and a talking housefly, drawing comparisons to SS Rajamouli's 2012 film Eega. However, in a recent interview, the actor clarified that Lovely is different from Eega. In an interview with Onmanorama, Mathew said, 'It's definitely a different kind of movie. A housefly that talks, the conversations between my character and the fly, their bond, it's a lot of fun. It's a lighthearted, feel-good film.' Also Read | Mathew Thomas responds to criticism of his 'overacting' in Bromance: 'When I approached the character of Binto…' Following the release of Lovely's trailer, the film has drawn comparisons to SS Rajamouli's Eega, starring Nani, Sudeep, and Samantha Ruth Prabhu. However, Mathew Thomas clarified that the similarities end with the presence of a housefly.'There is absolutely no connection between Eega and Lovely. Eega was more of an action-thriller. The fly in that film had a hero vibe. Ours is nothing like that. The housefly in Lovely is literally called Lovely—and like the name suggests, she's sweet, a bit mischievous, and just… lovely,' he said. Also Read | Not Baahubali, Eega is SS Rajamouli's perfect film On the work front, Mathew Thomas also has Udumbanchola Vision in the pipeline. Speaking about the film, which is expected to release in June, Mathew said, 'The movie won't disappoint anyone. It features a lot of different moments. Hence, it won't be easy to predict how the movie is going to unfold. You can rest assured that Udumbanchola Vision will offer an exciting, edge-of-the-seat experience.'
Indian Express
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Mathew Thomas responds to criticism of his ‘overacting' in Bromance: ‘When I approached the character of Binto…'
For actor Mathew Thomas, collaborations with director Arun D Jose have played a key role in his career growth. From the filmmaker's debut movie Jo and Jo (2022) to later projects like Journey of Love 18+ (2023), Samadhana Pusthakam (2024) — in which Arun served only as one of the co-writers — and Bromance (2025), each film has contributed to Mathew's fame and also helped him hone his craft. Even in their latest movie, Bromance, he played a character, Binto Varghese, that required him to take on fresh challenges, including performing a full-fledged action set piece involving many characters. However, unlike their previous ventures, Mathew's performance in Bromance was not well-received, particularly his portrayal of Binto's outbursts as he struggles with anger management. While he is elated at the movie's success, Mathew has not turned a blind eye to the feedback. In an exclusive conversation with SCREEN, he addressed the criticism in depth and shared his perspective on what might have gone wrong. Also Read | Javed Akhtar on why Indian actors don't speak up against govt: 'There was no income tax raid on Meryl Streep…' Opening up about his frequent collaborations with director Arun D Jose, Mathew Thomas says, 'I met him for the first time on the sets of Prakashan Parakkatte. He was the chief associate director on that project. Jo and Jo came along almost a year later. Our friendship didn't start with the idea of working together one day; it developed naturally. By the time we did Jo and Jo, we had become good friends. In the case of Journey of Love 18+, I wasn't a part of the project initially. But eventually, they needed a character like mine and considered me. That's how I ended up joining the project. In the case of Bromance, however, I was part of it from the beginning. Nonetheless, it's not like we decided to do it just because I was available. Things just fell into place. We are good friends even otherwise; he is like a brother to me.' 'There's a lot of comfort in working with him. When collaborating with him or with friends in general, that project will have an extra layer of specialness in our hearts. Also, there's more freedom to experiment. If something doesn't work, there's room to try again. That would also give us encouragement to try new things. These are some of the benefits I have gotten as a performer when I'm working with Arun,' he adds. Interestingly, Mathew tried several new things for the first time in Bromance, including full-fledged action sequences. When asked about the most challenging aspect of playing his character, Binto, the actor shares, 'Both the action and dance sequences were tough, to be honest. Although 18+ also required me to dance in one scene, that was more fun, unlike the one in Bromance, which was quite challenging for me. The fight scenes weren't a cakewalk either.' 'The most challenging part for me, however, was handling Binto's intense anger moments,' Mathew admits. He continues, 'The scenes showing his actions and reactions when his blood pressure rises were particularly tricky. After contemplating how to place it and what the right metre should be, we finally reached a consensus and shot one or two scenes in that style. The entire crew, including myself, was happy with the performance style we had zeroed in on. But after the film's release, it didn't land well with most viewers, and some even felt I had overacted. Even now, after the OTT release of the movie, I feel that portraying those anger-filled moments was the hardest part for me.' Considering that his performance had received a tad bit more appreciation and recognition while Bromance was running in theatres, but it was completely panned following the movie's OTT release, we asked if the diverse viewing experience each platform offers might have played a role in this. Mathew, however, opined that the differences between the two platforms, theatres and OTTs, played no role in this. 'It's not like a flaw of the platform or owing to the two's differences. Because at the end of the day, what you watch in theatres and on an OTT platform is the same thing. Sure, some films may look better on the big screen and the audience watching it together might make a difference in comparison to watching it alone. Other than that, the size of the screen and all play no role.' 'In the case of Bromance, I think it was a mistake in the performance, or more specifically, a misjudgment in the tone we should have maintained. We decide whether to tone a performance up or down, right? In this case, it was a lapse in that judgment. When I approached the character of Binto, based on the brief I received, I planned to show that when he gets angry, he goes all out. So much so that even he doesn't realise what he's doing, and he acts purely on impulse. His anger is intense and extreme.' 'So when I tried that out, I felt it worked, and the others agreed. Based on that, we decided to go full-on. Also, the scenes themselves were caricatured in nature, so our thought was: if it appears very bad, let it be. But we should have considered how it would look visually, especially on a big screen. Even if it's just an angry outburst, it could have been portrayed more cleanly or toned down a bit. Honestly, it was a problem with both the performance and the judgment behind it,' Mathew Thomas adds. Also starring Arjun Ashokan, Sangeeth Prathap, Mahima Nambiar, Shyam Mohan, Kalabhavan Shajohn and Bharath Bopanna, Bromance is now streaming on SonyLIV. Anandu Suresh is a Senior sub-editor at Indian Express Online. He specialises in Malayalam cinema, but doesn't limit himself to it and explores various aspects of the art form. He also pens a column titled Cinema Anatomy, where he delves extensively into the diverse layers and dimensions of cinema, aiming to uncover deeper meanings and foster continuous discourse. Anandu previously worked with The New Indian Express' news desk in Hyderabad, Telangana. You can follow him on Twitter @anandu_suresh_ and write (or send movie recommendations) to him at ... Read More
