Kalyani Priyadarshan on Lokah Chapter 1- Chandra crossing Rs 300 Cr mark globally: ‘People won’t be hesit

Kalyani Priyadarshan expressed gratitude as Lokah: Chapter 1 – Chandra, produced by Dulquer Salmaan and directed by Dominic Arun, became the first Malayalam film to cross ₹300 crore globally. She recalled her emotional connection with the haunting track “Paranje” and said the film’s success will encourage greater investment in Malayalam and female-led cinema. Dulquer Salmaan produced, Dominic Arun directed and Kalyani Priyadarshan led Lokah : Chapter 1 – Chandra has had a historic run at the box office as it became the first Malayalam film to cross Rs 300 crore globally. The film was in cinema halls for over two months and is now gearing up for its OTT release on October 31. In an exclusive conversation with ETimes, the actor Kalyani Priyadarshan opens up about the emotional journey behind the film, from her fear before its release to the haunting track that defined her connection with it. The film, which has also become the highest-grossing female-led film from South India and the second highest-grossing female-led film in India, has set new benchmarks for Malayalam cinema.Kalyani Priyadarshan on the soundtrack of Lokah: Chapter 1 – ChandraThe film received immense praise for its storytelling, world building, culture and direction.But to many it was the music composed by Jakes Bejoy that played an equal role in the elevation of the film. When asked if the theme song of the film is played at this very moment, what emotions she will go through. Kalyani said, “ I think it depends on which of the songs is played, because I feel like there are a couple of different moods from different songs. But if there’s this track called Paranje, which is my favorite track in the film. And I still remember the first time I heard it was about two weeks or three weeks before the film was released and we were just about to start promoting the film. Jakes Bejoy had just created the track and it was months after we had finished shooting. I had not watched the film yet and sometimes when you’ve made something at least at that point, it was very experimental. None of us had any idea what the film was going to become. And it’s a very scary situation to be in,” she recalls.

Kalyani Priyadarshan’s ‘Lokah – Chapter One’ Becomes Highest-Grossing Malayalam Film With ₹278 Crore

“So when we were entering promotions, I was very terrified as to how am I supposed to promote the film? What am I supposed to say? And, there is this tendency for people to look back and dissect everything that you’ve said once the film comes out. So I was like, if I say things about it now, and people don’t love the film, all of this is going to backfire on me. And it was a very scary position to be in. And I remember that was the day, just before I entered the first interview, my cinematographer Nimish was there, I just asked him how the work was coming along and he asked me if I would like to listen to the latest track . He played that song to me. And I remember I just had goosebumps. I had absolute goosebumps, because I’ve only seen the visuals while shooting and this is the first time I was hearing the film. And I could see exactly what we had shot playing in my mind while the music was playing. And that’s kind of when I sort of understood the kind of film we made. Until then, we were just shooting every day and couldn’t really take a step out and see the kind of film we made. That was the first moment I felt, wow, so this is the film we’ve made. And I think that really gave me the energy to go out there that day and sort of just talk about the film with so much excitement. I still feel that goosebump even today when I listen to that track. In fact, a couple of days ago, I messaged Jake telling him, I don’t know how you’ve done it. I’ve listened to this track a million times, but still it’s beautifully haunting.”Kalyani Priyadarshan on the box office collection of Lokah: Chapter 1 – ChandraKalyani also opened up on what the huge box office number of Rs 300 crore means to her. She said, “I think somewhere it does hit and it’s great because,for us especially in the Malayalam industry, we’ve always had limits with budgets because there was no precedent to say our movies can make this much, so someone can invest in them. So, the number absolutely matters because it helps, it changes things for the industry. I think personally what connects to us is when we hear stories from people about how the film connected with the film. But I think that number means a lot to us mainly because of what it’s done for the industry and what it can do for the industry and not just for the industry but also for female-led films and female-led stories in the industry. It’s great that it’s hit that number because our industry likes to see precedents. I don’t blame producers for that because when you’re putting in that much money, it’s not your money, so, you can’t say that someone should take a risk and put all of that into a story when there’s nothing to back up saying they’ll make that money back. So, I completely understand the hesitation that comes but it’s just nice to know that now people aren’t going to be as hesitant anymore.”About Lokah: Chaper 1 – Chandra’s The film will drop on JioHotstar on October 31. It features Kalyani Priyadarshan as Chandra Ananya and Naslen in a dual role.