'Lokah: Chapter 1 — Chandra' Becomes First Malayalam Film To Touch ₹300 Crore

With the collections adding to its total during the second weekend of October, Dominic Arun’s Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra has finally become the first-ever Malayalam film to cross the ₹300 crore mark. It achieved this feat six weeks after its release. The makers of the film, Wayfarer Films, had taken to social media to post fresh new posters announcing the film’s blockbuster collections, underscoring how it had become the first Malayalam movie to achieve this. In late August, it was supposed that L2: Empuraan would become the highest-grossing Malayalam film of all time. This also went on to mark that the film, made at a budget of ₹30 crore, had earned 10 times its cost.

What’s also surprising is that this record would also make the Malayalam industry the only major mainstream movie industry in India to have a female-led movie as its highest grosser. This also makes it the highest-grossing South Indian movie led by a female star.

In an exclusive conversation with The Hollywood Reporter India earlier, actor-producer Dulquer Salmaan opened up about the overwhelming success of Lokah: Chapter 1 — Chandra, a film that has not only resonated with Malayalam audiences but has also broken barriers to become a pan-India cultural phenomenon.  

Reflecting on the project, Dulquer admitted the team had modest expectations. “This is our seventh production, and we've always managed to land safely. But nothing has been like Lokah,” he said. “Even as an actor, none of my films have exploded like this. It’s been accepted across demographics and has now become a part of pop culture. That’s what's most exciting.”

This is also a year in which Malayalam saw an unprecedented three films crossing the ₹200 crore mark with L2:Empuraan, Thudarum (both starring Mohanlal) and, now, Lokah Chapter One: Chandra.