Nivin Pauly as Benz villain Walter: his career so far

Nivin Pauly plays Walter, the antagonist in Benz, a Tamil action thriller set in the Lokesh Cinematic Universe (LCU). It is not his first Tamil film. It is, however, his first full-fledged villain role in Tamil, and it comes from an actor whose name has long been tied to warm, easy-going leads.

How Walter was announced

Nivin confirmed the part on X on June 4, 2025, writing that he was "thrilled to step in as 'Walter'". The character is billed as "Twin Fish Walter", and the official promo hints at a double role, according to reports. Benz is written and directed by Bakkiyaraj Kannan. Lokesh Kanagaraj co-produces the film through his banner G Squad and is reportedly also a co-writer. Raghava Lawrence plays the title role of Benz.

The feel-good years

His film career began with Malarvaadi Arts Club (2010), in which he played Prakashan. Thattathin Marayathu (2012), with Nivin as Vinod, came next. Neram (2013), a Malayalam-Tamil bilingual in which he played Mathew, was also his first step into Tamil cinema. After Ohm Shanthi Oshaana (2014), in which he played Giri, Premam followed in 2015.

The darker turns

Walter is not his first break from that image. In Moothon (2019), he played Akbar, a role far removed from his feel-good leads. He also headlined Padavettu. In Tamil, apart from Neram, his earlier work includes Richie (2017) and Yezhu Kadal Yezhu Malai.

Why a villain now

His most recent releases put him back in lighter films: Sarvam Maya (2025) and Bethlehem Kudumba Unit (2026), the Onam release directed by Girish AD and co-starring Mamitha Baiju.

Speaking about his LCU role in an interview with Variety India (the interview refers to the Lokesh Cinematic Universe, not to Benz by name), Nivin said: "It is always good to surprise the audience. After doing two back-to-back feel-good romantic comedies, it felt like the right time to offer something different. Playing an antagonist will surprise them. The film is big in scale, with large sets and high-quality production, and I hope it does well. Although the villain is dark and cruel, he also has a touch of dark humour, which made the role exciting to explore."

Where Benz stands

The makers have not announced a release date. In August 2026, THR India reported that 30 to 35 days of shooting were still left. In an interview with YouTuber Rekha Menon, as reported by THR India, Nivin urged the makers to finish the film: "I'm sick and tired of calling them about this." THR India also noted that he has had to keep a gruff bearded look across Bethlehem Kudumba Unit, Sarvam Maya and Prathichaya.

Benz is reported to be the fourth film in the LCU and the first not directed by Lokesh himself.