‘Everything was scripted… except the interval’: Kalyani Priyadarshan on the bold intercut in Lokah

At The Hollywood Reporter India’s Actors Roundtable 2025, hosted by Anupama Chopra, Kalyani Priyadarshan offered a refreshingly honest glimpse into the emotional rollercoaster surrounding the release of ‘Lokah – Chapter One: Chandra’ and the creative trust that powered the film.

Recalling release day jitters, Kalyani said she and co-star Naslen chose to stay indoors, bracing themselves for public verdicts.

“We were very nervous up until the day of release. On the day of release, Naslen did not step out. We were in our rooms, hoping that people wouldn’t say anything bad,” she shared. Relief finally came by afternoon. “At 3 o’clock, when we knew good reviews were coming in, we called each other and said, ‘I think we can step out.’ He asked if we should go watch the movie—and I was like, ‘Yeah!’”

When Anupama Chopra asked how she knew she had got it right on set, Kalyani revealed a lesser-known casting twist connected to Lokah.

“The first person who told me to do the film was Basil,” she said, adding that Basil Joseph was initially supposed to be part of the film but couldn’t commit due to date issues. As laughter followed, Basil quipped, “There are four more parts, so I can be there in any one,” lightening the moment.

Beyond casting curiosities, Kalyani stressed that the backbone of the film was trust—particularly in director Dominic Arun. “Most importantly, we all trusted Dominic Arun’s vision. This film could not have been made without that trust,” she noted.

She then dropped the biggest behind-the-scenes surprise: the much-discussed interval block of Lokah – Chapter One: Chandra was never part of the original plan.

“Everything we shot was exactly as per the script—except the interval,” Kalyani revealed. Dissatisfied with how certain sequences were shaping up during filming, Dominic reworked the narrative during editing. “That came on the edit table. He decided to intercut, and that’s what everyone talks about today.”

For Kalyani, the moment reaffirmed a core filmmaking belief. “Preparation gives you structure, spontaneity gives you soul,” she said, crediting that instinctive decision for elevating the film’s impact.

‘Lokah – Chapter One: Chandra’, which marked Kalyani Priyadarshan’s debut as a superhero, struck a chord with audiences for its fresh genre treatment and narrative risks.

its theatrical run with a final worldwide gross around ₹303-₹304 crore, with India net collections touching approximately ₹155-₹156 crore and overseas earning over ₹119 crore, making it Malayalam cinema's highest-grossing film ever by crossing the ₹300 crore global mark.