From a set designer to actress: Kalyani Priyadarshan on how a sprained back, filmmaker's ire prodded her to pursue her real dream
Did you know that Kalyani Priyadarshan started off her career in the film world as a set designer? The Lokah actress opens up on how she finally made the plunge into acting.
Last Updated: 03.11 PM, Dec 04, 2025
Malayalam actress Kalyani Priyadarshan did the unthinkable when her latest film, Lokah Chapter 1 Chandra, broke into the Rs 300-crore club, becoming the first Mollywood movie to do so. But did you know that Kalyani started off her career in the film world as a set designer even though she aspired to be an actress? And it was a fortuitous turn of events, including a sprained back and the ire of a filmmaker, that prompted her to change her career path and plunge into acting, her real dream, the actress revealed during an interview with The Nod Magazine.
Kalyani Priyadarshan on choosing acting
Being the daughter of noted filmmaker Priyadarshan and yesteryear actress Lissy Lakshmi, Kalyani fully fits into the mould of a starkid waiting to have her big launch. But that was not the path she or her National-Award winning director-father chose. Instead the 20-something Kalyani forayed into cinema as a set designer during the 2010s. The actress told The Nod that she realised her own passion when her friend and filmmaker Ani Sasi, son of acclaimed director IV Sasi, came up with a character, inspired by her. But even then she did not take the plunge. However when she sprained her back amid her onset duties and also had to bear the brunt of the filmmaker’s fury, Kalyani decided to finally do what she really wanted. She broached up the topic with her father, who backed her dream.
It was in 2017 that Kalyani made her screen debut with Hello, a Telugu film, starring Akhil Akkineni. Her Malayalam debut came much later in 2020 with Varane Avashyamund, starring actor-producer Dulquer Salmaan, who incidentally produced Lokah. Dominic Arun directed the film and also co-wrote Lokah with Santhy Balachandran.
Kalyani's other notable Malayalam films are Hridayam, where she starred alongside Pranav Mohanlal, and Bro Daddy with Prithviraj Sukumaran and Mohanlal.
Though her performance was appreciated in these films, it was Lokah that proved that Kalyani is a formidable talent, capable of shouldering an entire film. She played Chandra, a mysterious woman, who is later revealed to have superhuman powers.
Kalyani Priyadarshan FAQs
Q. Who is Kalyani Priyadarshan?
A. Kalyani Priyadarshan is an actress, who has starred in films across the languages of Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu. Her last Malayalam film Lokah: Chapter 1 Chandra (streaming on JioHotstar via OTTplay Premium)was a blockbuster hit.
Q. How is Kalyani Priyadarshan related to Keerthy Suresh?
A. Kalyani Priyadarshan and Keerthy Suresh have been close friends since childhood. While Kalyani is the daughter of director Priyadarshan and yesteryear actress Lissy, Keerthy is the daughter of producer Suresh Kumar and yesteryear actress Menaka.