Malayalam cinema never had it so good. Made at a meagre budget of Rs 35 crores, Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra (Kotha Lokah In Telugu) has earned a smashing Rs 50 crores over the weekend. This makes it one of the fastest revenue earners of Malayalam cinema in living memory.
The very lovely Kalyani Priyadarshan is being hailed as the first female superhero of Indian cinema. Sure, we had several male superheroes like Hrithik Roshan in the Krish series and Tovino Thomas in the very successful and likeable Minal Murrali in Malayalam.
But a female superhero, and that too in Malayalam?!
When I touched base with Kalyani Priyadarshan, she was in Dubai promoting the film. When I designated her the Gal Gadot of Indian cinema, Kalyani laughed. “That is high praise, Sir. But I am so happy that you liked the film. So much hard work and passion went into the film and now to see the audience being so encouraging… it is truly gratifying.”
At the moment, it is hard to tell how long-legged Lokah is. It is expected to touch Rs 100 crores by the end of this week. A surefire smash hit. Part 2 is already being planned by producer Dulquer Salmaan.
