The Risks That Paid Off: How Lokah Shattered Box Office Records & Expectations | InFocus | THR India

In this in-depth conversation on The Hollywood Reporter India's InFocus, host Anupama Chopra sits down with the powerhouse team behind the blockbuster Malayalam superhero film "Lokah: Chapter 1 - Chandra." Director Dominic Arun, producer Dulquer Salmaan, and lead actress Kalyani Priyadarshan discuss the film's unprecedented success, having crossed the ₹220 crore mark worldwide and becoming the first female-led Malayalam film to achieve such heights. The trio reveals how what started as a small-budget independent film transformed into an ambitious cinematic universe when Dulquer encouraged them to think bigger, telling them not to worry about the budget and focus on making the film they truly wanted to create.

The conversation delves deep into the creative process, with Dominic sharing his handwritten approach to screenwriting and his specific vision for Chandra as a character who moves like someone hundreds of years old. Kalyani opens up about her initial insecurities with the role, requiring reassurance from Dulquer when she felt the character's stillness was too unnatural for her typically animated personality. The team discusses their collaborative approach, with additional screenplay contributions from Santhy Balachandran ensuring authentic feminist perspectives, and how surprise cameos from Tovino Thomas created theater-erupting moments. They also explore the challenge of balancing melancholy with entertainment, the decision to make their antagonist a representation of toxic masculinity, and their plans for the remaining four chapters in what promises to be Malayalam cinema's first mythological superhero universe.