Entertainment Desk
23 August 2025, 01:16 PM IST
Kalyani Priyadarshan opens up about her contrasting roles in Dominic Arun’s ambitious fantasy ‘Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra’ and Althaf Salim’s satirical rom-com ‘Odum Kuthira Chaadum Kuthira’.
Kalyani Priyadarshan | Photo: Instagram/kalyanipriyadarshan
Actor Kalyani Priyadarshan has opened up about her contrasting experiences shooting Dominic Arun’s fantasy epic ‘Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra’ and Althaf Salim’s upcoming satire ‘Odum Kuthira Chaadum Kuthira’.
In a conversation with Baradwaj Rangan for Galatta Plus, Kalyani revealed how the roles demanded two completely different approaches, describing one as emotionally detached and restrained, and the other as playful and liberating.
On ‘Odum Kuthira Chaadum Kuthira’
Sharing her thoughts on Althaf Salim’s directorial, Kalyani said, “The movie is more like a Korean rom-com told in a very satirical way, in the style of maybe Woody Allen or Wes Anderson. That’s the best way I can describe it. This mix of exaggerated humour with emotional depth is what Althaf Salim (director) is really good at, and it’s his biggest strength.”
She added that the director encouraged actors not to overthink their roles. “And even in this film, he wanted it to be such a jolly experience that, as a process for actors, he said, ‘I don’t want you to prep for this film.’ He told all of us — even me and Fahadh, if we had a doubt — that it’s not that kind of film, just have fun. He finds small spaces of emotional honesty, which is absolutely beautiful, and that’s what drew me to wanting to be part of this project.”
‘Odum Kuthira Chaadum Kuthira’ also stars Revathi Pillai, Vinay Forrt, Lal, Suresh Krishna, Vineeth Thattil David, Babu Antony, Noby Marcose and others. The romantic comedy, tagged as “Their love story was perfect until the wedding,” is Althaf Salim’s second directorial venture after the 2017 film ‘Njandukalude Nattil Oridavela.’ It is set to release on August 29.
On ‘Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra’
In sharp contrast, the actor said her role in ‘Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra’ was emotionally challenging. “My character in ‘Lokah’ was difficult for me. My dad has always said that ‘the more natural your performance is, the more relatable it ends up being.’ But the character in ‘Lokah’ was very unlike the real me,” Kalyani said.
She explained how Dominic Arun shaped her performance: “I’ve always put a little bit of myself into every character I’ve played, in order to bring some soul into her. But when Dominic Arun (director) approached me, he said, ‘your personality and hers are not the same, so we have to do something completely different.’ His vision for Chandra (character) was very specific — she was cold, emotionally detached, to the point where her eyes couldn’t reveal any emotion. I was so restrained on that set because he didn’t allow me to blink, frown, or do anything. And going from there to the sets of ‘Odum Kuthira Chaadum Kuthira’ felt like I was a child let loose in a candy store.”
‘Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra,’ billed as Malayalam cinema’s first-ever woman superhero story, is produced by Dulquer Salmaan’s Wayfarer Films and will release on August 28, a day before ‘Odum Kuthira Chaadum Kuthira.’ The cast includes Chandu Salimkumar, Arun Kurian, Sandy, Vijayaraghavan, Raghunath Paleri, Sarath Saba, Nithya Shri and Nishanth Sagar.
The makers have hinted at building a larger franchise with upcoming instalments. The film features music by Jakes Bejoy, cinematography by Nimish Ravi, editing by Chaman Chakko and action choreography by Yannick Ben. The promo track ‘Thanilokah Murakkaari,’ dropped by Dulquer Salmaan earlier this week.
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