Lokah: Chapter 1: Chandra director Dominic Arun has revealed who he would have cast in his fantasy epic if it had been made in the 1990s. Speaking in a promo for an upcoming interview with Reel Tribe, the filmmaker placed some of Malayalam cinema’s most iconic names in his imagined line-up.
For Chandra, now played by Kalyani Priyadarshan, Dominic chose Shobana. When asked about Sunny, now played by Naslen, his answer was immediate: Mohanlal. “In my mind, Sunny is always Mohanlal. Must be because of Manichithrathazhu. So the name Sunny, I immediately connect with Lalettan,” he said. For Tovino Thomas’ role as Chathan / Micheal, Dominic suggested the late Bharath Gopy, which he admitted was a "weird choice." For Dulquer Salmaan’s Odiyan / Charlie, his pick was Suresh Gopi.
Dominic also spoke about his personal fascination with the character Neeli, calling her his favourite character from Aithihyamala. Written by Kottarathil Sankunni in the early 20th century, the book is a classic collection of over a hundred Kerala legends, featuring magicians, yakshis, rulers, poets and kalari masters. The Lokah universe is inspired by these stories. The first chapter reimagined the lore of Kalliyankattu Neeli and Kathanar with a twist, and the next instalment will turn its focus to Tovino's Chathan.
Recently, Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra overtook the lifetime global collections of Mohanlal’s L2: Empuraan, emerging as the highest-grossing Malayalam film ever. With no OTT release date announced, Lokah is expected to remain in cinemas through the Pooja holidays.
