‘Lokah probably wouldn’t have happened without Nimish’: Kalyani Priyadarshan

Kalyani Priyadarshan believes that Lokah: Chapter One: Chandra, Mollywood’s first female superhero film, would never have come to life without the contribution of cinematographer Nimish Ravi.

In a conversation with Sudhir Srinivasan, she said, “It was me completely surrendering to my director Dominic Arun and DOP Nimish. They were this duo that came together. Nimish wasn’t just the role of a cinematographer in this film. We keep saying, this film wouldn’t have happened without Dulquer, but this probably also wouldn’t have happened without Nimish. So if I say Dominic in this interview, it’s a plus one. I mean the both of them.”

Dominic wanted the character of Chandra to embody sorrow and stillness, which required Kalyani to change her natural acting style. “Me as a person move a lot with my body. Meanwhile, her, she doesn’t shake her head, she doesn’t blink. As an actor, you feel restrained and almost think you are doing something wrong. I was very insecure about how people would receive her.”

The insecurity stayed with her through much of the filming process. “There are many times I thought people are going to laugh. I am still waiting for the ball to drop. When are people going to bring out the trolls and memes? But Nimish and Dominic are so passionate about their craft that they know how to find the right metre. My trust was on them. Even Dulquer blindly trusted them.”

That trust was reflected off-screen as well. On the day before the film’s release, producer Dulquer Salmaan gave her a piece of advice that stayed with her. “Dulquer called me and said, ‘I don’t care if I lose money on this film. I am just glad we made a good film. Because we were sure we made a good film. Whether it worked for the audience or not, was not in our hands. He calls me Kalzone. He said, ‘Kalzone, don’t even look at the numbers. Just know, I am really happy as a producer. This is why we got into cinema. Even if it’s a small audience, the film will find its audience.’”

For Kalyani, that reassurance resonated deeply. “I loved the script. To be very honest, the reason I got into cinema was to make cool films. Dulquer and I have always had that same vibe. I don’t have the fear of the experiment failing. Surely, it may fail, but at least we tried is how my mind works.”