Kalyani Priyadarshan on physical training for Lokah: Chapter 1 -Chandra: “When your body has nothing left to give, that’s when you fight”

Kalyani Priyadarshan’s latest film, Lokah: Chapter 1 -Chandra, has not only emerged as a massive box-office success grossing over Rs 300 crore globally but has also marked a turning point in her career. In the film , Kalyani showcased her fierce action avtar which was till now unseen by her fans and industry at large.


In a candid reflection during her exclusive conversation with ETimes , Kalyani shared that preparing for the film’s demanding action sequences was one of the most intense experiences of her life. “We really trained a lot for that because the one advice we were given from our action choreographer Yannick Ben was, ‘You need to train as a fighter,’” she recalled. “We trained for weeks and months, actually I was not someone who was very athletic.”




Although she had played an athlete briefly in another film, Kalyani explained that Lokah required a completely different level of physical commitment. “We really worked hard, we went crazy,” she said with a smile. “It was the best part of the process for me. I absolutely enjoyed every bit of it, but there were days when my coach genuinely pushed me to the point where he knew that when I would be shooting action, I would be pushed to my limits.”


The film’s action scenes were shot over three continuous weeks, with the team working from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. The crew shot action for three continuous week was because it was the only way they could afford action director Yannick Ben for the film and all the action for the film was shot in that time.


“We were shooting action non-stop, and it really gets to you at a point,” Kalyani said. “But what made the process special was my coach, Jo ( Jophil Lal) . His main goal wasn’t just to make me a physically strong fighter, but to make me mentally strong like an actual fighter.”


She added that Joe’s philosophy completely changed the way she approached her work. “He used to say that when your body has absolutely nothing left to give, that’s when you need to fight. And that’s exactly what happens when you’re shooting these action pieces and by the end of the second and third week, you will be exhausted, but that’s when your mental strength kicks in and pushes you to give your best.”


Kalyani credits this training for not only shaping her body language on screen but also for strengthening her mindset as an actor. “I’m really grateful for the training we did,” she said. “Apart from the physical aspect, that mental strength really helped me. It’s what kept me going.”


Kalyani even posted a video giving a glimpse of her training for the film, sharing it she wrote , “ Some journeys change you forever, and training for Chandra with @jophil_lal showed me that I’m far stronger than I ever believed. Thank you, coach, for being such a big part of that discovery ��.Sharing a glimpse of all that went into bringing this story to life - and from midnight tonight, Chandra is coming to your homes…Special shoutout to my cheerleaders @chakkeemalavika @monicalal8 and the amazing people at @kasparov_fight_camp ♥️”

Lokah: Chapter 1 Chandra is directed by Dominic Arun and is produced by Dulquer Salmaan and it also featured Naslen with Tovino Thomas.