Kalyani Priyadarshan on Dulquer Salmaan’s advice for Lokah: The reason we are in cinema is to take risks | Exclusive

Kalyani Priyadarshan talks about her film Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra, which is all set to hit theatres on August 28. The actress is also part of another Onam release - Odum Kuthira Chaadum Kuthira

Kalyani Priyadarshan in a still from Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra

Actors are rarely offered the chance to play a superhero in Malayalam cinema, much less a female one. So, imagine Kalyani Priyadarshan’s surprise when she was approached to play the central character in director Dominic Arun’s Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra, which will also potentially serve as the launchpad of a superhero franchise in the industry. The film, also starring Naslen and backed by Dulquer Salmaan, is set to release on August 28 and will mark Kalyani’s first of two releases this Onam; the other being Fahadh Faasil-starrer Odum Kuthira Chaadum Kuthira.

In an exclusive interview with OTTplay, Kalyani talks about Lokah, the challenges of playing the character and the exciting journey of bringing it to the screen with a vibrant, young team.

What was your first reaction when the makers of Lokah first pitched the script to you?

‘Am I the right person for this?’ I thought it was an ambitious and interesting subject but I was like, ‘Why have they come to me?’ At that point, I thought there were definitely other people who could pull off Chandra’s physicality, her aura and emotional subtleties, which I was not known for. So, I was generally surprised that they considered me for a role like this. But I was also selfish about it and couldn’t say no to this character.

Also read: Kalyani Priyadarshan on Fahadh Faasil: ‘He’s insecure enough to keep pushing himself’ | Exclusive

Before this, you had only done Sesham Mike-il Fathima, which revolved entirely around your character. Judging from Lokah’s trailer, it’s again a film that you will shoulder. Did that add extra pressure?

Surprisingly enough, I don’t think I shoulder this film; there’s so much more to this film than just my character. To be honest, I have always felt Chandra is just a character in this story. You can say it’s a female-centric film, but in my head it’s actually not. It goes beyond her.

How does it break a new ground in Malayalam cinema, where we have few superhero movies?

In Malayalam movies, you have these ‘mass’ commercial films and raw, realistic ones that people outside our industry laud us for. So, I think if you ask someone outside our industry of what a Malayalam superhero would be, it would be this.

It’s got a very young cast with Naslen and Chandu Salimkumar, and you would probably be the most experienced.

Even the crew were incredibly young - not just in terms of experience but in age as well. So, the entire team was on the same wavelength. I still remember asking Dominic what he wanted out of the film and he said, ‘I just want to make a cool movie, dude. I just want to tell a cool story in a cool way. That’s it’. He even said he didn’t even know how much this movie was going to make at the box office, but he just wanted to make a cool film. That was the general vibe on set too.

This Onam has enough for the family audience with Lokah, Hridayapoorvam, Odum Kuthira Chaadum Kuthira and Maine Pyar Kiya. And among these, Lokah could be the film that youngsters would prefer the most?

I hope so. But I am also a little worried that they are going in, expecting an Avengers or a Dune. Ultimately, it’s a Malayalam movie. We did our maximum with all the budgetary constraints. At the end of the day, the biggest problem is when people compare films. For instance, you would be comparing Odum Kuthira Chaadum Kuthira to another rom-com that was already made in Malayalam. But in case of Lokah, there’s nothing to compare it with, and people would eventually draw parallels with something like a Dune, and that is where we are a little worried because we cannot match that and we didn’t try either.

As people, we like to compare but there’s no other base in Malayalam other than something like Minnal Murali, which is again very different from ours.

Lokah is also part of a larger universe that Dominic and Dulquer Salmaan’s Wayfarer Films are building, and given that this is the first movie in that franchise, there’s a lot riding on the success of the film?

Absolutely and that’s what is even scarier. I remember speaking to Dulquer about this. The first time I heard the story, I called him up and we spoke for a long time. We were talking about why we are even in the cinema, and the whole reason was to do movies like this, to tell stories like this, and take risks. It’s not to be making films that we have always been doing. So, whether it works out or not, we will always be proud that we did something like this. We will never regret it.

Having someone like him back this film would have also given a lot of confidence to the team?

Yes, and I think it speaks volumes of how much he trusts this film. And the fact that he wants to release it this Onam, along with a lot of other biggies. There’s a film that everyone is incredibly excited about, and to even have him say, ‘It’s ok. Let’s share space with them,’ shows that he believes in this vision. To have that kind of support for this film is insane because the producers went all out. This is technically a female-centric movie, but at no point was it treated like that. They gave their best of the best for this film and completely backed the vision.

FAQs:

Q. When is Lokah releasing?

A. Kalyani Priyadarshan’s Lokah is set to hit theatres on August 28. The movie will release along with Mohanlal’s Hridayapoorvam, Fahadh Faasil’s Odum Kuthira Chaadum Kuthira and Preiy Mukhundhan’s Maine Pyar Kiya.

Q. Who is playing a cameo in Lokah?

A. According to reports, Dulquer Salmaan and Tovino Thomas are rumoured to play a cameo in Lokah. However, the team has not officially confirmed these.

Q. Is Lokah a superhero film?

A. Yes, the film has Kalyani Priyadarshan’s character Chandra in the role of a superhero. The actress had said though it’s a superhero film, it’s been told keeping the Malayali audience’s sensibilities in mind.

Share