Lokah: Dominic Arun on why Santhy Balachandran as a co-writer was crucial; says 'needed a feminist...'

Celebrities and moviegoers from all over the world are lauding Malayalam's most recent film, Lokah: Chapter 1-Chandra, for its brilliant storytelling and screenplay, which resurrects many characters of classic Malayalam mythology. In an interview with Galatta Plus, the film's director and writers, Dominic Arun and Santhy Balachandran, talked about how crucial the latter's involvement was to the development of Lokah.

'Santhy as a co-writer of Lokah very crucial'

Dominic mentioned in the interview that he thought the film should inevitably have a strong feminist perspective because it tells the story of a female protagonist. "Santhy can help with it. In that regard, she ensured everything was in order," he remarked. The young director continued by saying that he was determined to make Chandra's character flawless and that he always was committed to making sure that when he developed a scene, whether it was about the humour or the emotions of the characters, it struck correctly. 

Because of her solid understanding of character development and the ways in which various emotions are conveyed in films, Dominic said that Santhy was an invaluable resource for the project.

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'Lucky to have a collaborator like Dominic'

Santhy, meanwhile, said she was fortunate to have worked at Tharangam with Dominic Arun and to have such a cooperative equation. "He saw the scope of the layers that I was keen on adding, and the room he gave me to communicate myself freely made the difference," she stated in the same interview, adding that the film will still be fantastic even if she was not a part of it. The actress added that she contributed to more than just the writing for Lokah, which is why she was given credit for dramaturgy.

In just one week after its August 28 theatrical premiere as part of Onam, Dominic's sophomore project brought in over Rs 100 crore at the box office. In addition to Malayalam, the film—which also features Naslen, Chandu Salimkumar, and Sunny Wayne—is currently showing in Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada.

Also Read: Lokah: Kalyani Priyadarshan-starrer emerges as the highest grossing South female-led film at worldwide box office

FAQs

Q. Who is the superhero played by Kalyani Priyadarshan?

A. Kalyani Priyadarshan plays a superhero character named Chandra in the movie Lokah.

Q. Who is the producer of Lokah Chapter 1?

A. South star Dulquer Salmaan is the producer of Lokah Chapter 1.

Q. How is Kalyani Priyadarshan related to Mohanlal?

A. Kalyani Priyadarshan and Mohanlal are not related. Superstar Mohanlal and Kalyani’s father director Priyadarshan are friends and have collaborated on several hit films.

Q: When will Lokah release?

A: Lokah had a theatrical release on August 28.