Lokah production designer takes a dig at film industries spending 80% on actors: ‘Every penny is visible here’

In a recent interview, the production designer of Lokah, Banglan, spoke about how Mollywood spends budgets on the quality of the film rather than the actor.

Dominic Arun’s superhero film Lokah: Chapter 1—Chandra, produced by Dulquer Salmaan’s Wayfarer Films, has been receiving praise not just for its story but also for its production values. The film, which stars Kalyani Priyadarshan and Naslen in lead roles, tells a tale that requires extensive worldbuilding. In an interview with Cinema Express, the production designer Banglan took a dig at other film industries spending the majority of their budget on actors’ salaries.

Dominic Arun's superhero film Lokah: Chapter 1 - Chandra stars Kalyani Priyadarshan and Naslen in lead roles.

Lokah production designer takes dig at other industries

Banglan mentioned in the interview that Dulquer had trust in his team and gave them support to bring to life what was needed for the film without being too worried about the budget. He also said that it’s not good enough if the ‘sets look good’ if the film isn’t strong.

The production designer then said, “If money is spent, it has to be visible in the frame. From beginning to end, the audience can see that quality in Lokah. In other industries, 80 per cent of the budget often goes into actors’ salaries. Here, more is spent on making, and every penny spent is visible in the frames. We are able to complete films within the quoted budget, which is not always the case elsewhere.”

The budget of Lokah

Incidentally, despite featuring cameos from stars like Tovino Thomas, Dulquer himself, Soubin Shahir and even Mammootty in a voice cameo, Lokah is made on a budget of ₹30 crore. Talking at the film’s success meet in Hyderabad, Dulquer mentioned that while this might seem like a ‘small budget’ for other film industries, it is huge for Mollywood and on par with his films King of Kotha and Kurup.

He said, “In Malayalam cinema, the budget of Lokah is the same as King of Kotha and Kurup. For us, that is a big budget. And even then, not a single rupee was spent unnecessarily.” King of Kotha was made on a budget of ₹50 crore, while Kurup was made on ₹35 crore.

Lokah: Chapter 1 – Chandra is the first part of a planned five-part franchise. The next film will see Tovino, who was introduced in the first part, as a goblin named Chathan in the lead.