Kalyani Priyadarshan INTERVIEW: ‘Entire structure for the next movies is completely laid out…’

Kalyani Priyadarshan is currently enjoying the success of her latest movie, Lokah: Chapter 1 - Chandra. Directed by Dominic Arun, the dark fantasy superhero film has been lauded by critics for the visuals, performances, and more.

Sharing her experience of working on Lokah, teasing a bit about the future installments, Kalyani Priyadarshan shared some exciting insights with Pinkvilla.

Kalyani Priyadarshan Interview

1. Lokah: Chapter 1 - Chandra has been considered by many as the 1st female superhero character in Indian cinema. How does it feel to be part of pop culture that will be remembered for a long time?

Ans. Is that true? Like I heard, there was some other character in Indian cinema who was the first female superhero. I’m not sure, but for obvious reasons, this does feel surreal. It’s not what we’ve ever thought would happen with the film.

When I first signed on, I really wanted to be part of a really good film, to tell a really good story. When the audience saw it, the film took a life of its own, and it felt really surreal. It hasn’t really sunk into any of us. It’s been two weeks since release, but… I don’t know what to say. I am still speechless.

2. In Lokah, you embody a gothic look with your character, which is quite rare in Malayalam cinema. What was the journey like in transitioning into Chandra?

Ans. From a visual standpoint, she has reasons for why she’s doing it. We understand through the character that Chandra is a person who has worn many shades, many masks, and many disguises. In fact, we don’t even know if this is Chandra’s real look.

Whatever Chandra shows is the real Chandra. It was interesting to analyze the role from such a perspective. Emotionally, we know she is a very numb person who has been through a lot in life. She has seen her loved ones pass away. She has a way to her maturity, the body language, the way she speaks, that is very different from who I am as a person.

This was the biggest challenge for me because I had to understand the weight she carries. This is where Dominic and Nimish came in; both of them have been living with the character for so long. They knew everything about her; they knew how she walks, eats… everything.

This is like one of the moments where I completely surrendered to their vision; if not for them, I would’ve been lost.

3. Another major aspect of the character was how physically demanding it was. The action set pieces were all high-octane. What went into training for such a role?

Ans. Obviously, this is a character who has been fighting for years and years. Probably for me, who just stepped into action to convince that I’ve been doing it for years, it is not easy. We had to train on many things, and at the same time, we had to go very intensely.

From strength training, rope training, harness training, to Muay Thai and boxing, we worked on a lot of things. We had to work on different kinds of combat over a period of many months.

Yannick Ben is the person who handled the action choreography, and his first advice was that if you’re punching someone for the very first time, they will easily know it. A viewer will easily understand if the person was adept at landing punches.

So, to have that body language almost become a second nature is why we trained a lot. Obviously, there is also the magic of cinema. This is a collaborative effort, and I had a very strong technical team. All I had to do was work very hard, and the rest they will take care of, especially when we have to make a superhero film.

4. Lokah’s success has echoed across industries in Indian cinema. How does it feel to be at the center of all this?

Ans. Like I said earlier, everything hasn’t sunken in yet. I am glad that a film like this is being accepted by everybody. This goes to show that the audience is capable of showing more love than we could’ve ever imagined.

Now, this film was an experiment, and it was an experiment that everyone loved. I am just really grateful to no one else but the audience. I don’t believe that I am at the center of it, but more like this is a collective win.

If I had to say who is at the center of it, I would probably say it was all of us. As a team, we have collectively put our efforts into it, and every department is being appreciated for it.

5. By now, we all know what the movie is about and your character being inspired by Kaliyankaatu Neeli, a famous Yakshi from Kerala’s folklore. Were there any challenges in adapting such a uniquely toned character?

Ans. I don’t know if I can speak openly about the spoilers, but to adapt something like this, I think that is the most interesting aspect about the character.

The character had so much weight, and we were all so excited to reimagine Neeli. I feel it’s beautiful, because what if the judgment we had about that character was all wrong? How many times have we formulated our opinions about a person because of the stories we were told about them, but when we meet them, we feel like the opinions are completely wrong.

That is what makes Neeli’s reimagination so beautiful. That is what excited me to play as well. As we had completely reimagined her, we didn’t go into the old ways in which she had been depicted. For me, it was a completely fresh character.

6. With the mid-credit and post-credit scenes, we saw Tovino Thomas’ Chaathan and DQ’s ninja-like character Charlie. Can we expect Chandra to team up with all of them and even get a glimpse of Moothon?

Ans. That's for sure… I have been told not to divulge those details. However, the entire structure for the next movies is completely laid out. I know my arc, and it is a very interesting arc, but I cannot speak about it.

7. Lokah had a massive box office clash with Mohanlal's Hridayapoorvam, and going by the numbers, Lokah is at the top. How do you view this box office clash?

Ans. I have never found that cinema should be measured as winners or losers. I think it’s just part of culture, like in school or college, it’s all about academics, clashes, winners, and losers.

In art… in cinema, it's not about winners or losers. Both films are doing incredibly well, and it's a testament to the love the audience has to give. I’m just excited for both of us, and Lal sir (Mohanlal) is literally one of my favorite humans for all time… forget actors, he is one of my favorite humans.

To be able to cheer each other on from different screens, it’s just an exciting process for me.

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