'Lokah Chapter 1 - Chandra': Dulquer Salmaan reveals he was braced for loss; says the audience reception felt 'surreal'

The superhero flick directed by Dominic Arun, 'Lokah Chapter 1—Chandra,' starring Kalyani Priyadarshan in the lead, is enjoying its fair share of success. The film turned out to be the second highest-grossing Malayalam film of 2025. Recently, Dulquer Salmaan, who produced the film, shared that he was mentally prepared for failure before its release.

Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, they shared that this project is their seventh production and they have "always played it safe." But this film went on to become a superhit, crossing demographics and becoming part of pop culture.

The team is ready to face the loss

The 'Kaantha' actor shared that though they had believed in the film, they were quite skeptical about the film's reception at the box office. "Honestly, we were bracing ourselves for a potential loss. We believed in the film, but weren't sure how it would perform commercially," he said.

He added that they were so uncertain about the film's reception that "buyers weren't lining up," leaving the team to make peace with the idea of facing a setback with the franchise opener.

'Lokah' box office reception

'Lokah Chapter 1 - Chandra' has made over Rs 122 crore at the box office in 19 days domestically, as per a report by Sacnilk. Interestingly, the movie is said to have been made on a budget of Rs 30 crore and turned out to be a blockbuster.

The movie was earlier released in Malayalam. After its initial response, it was dubbed and released in multiple languages. The 'Aakasam Lo Oka Tara' actor shared that it was a "surreal" experience when people shared about the film on social media. "I was seeing responses from everywhere. It’s proof that audiences today are open to different languages and fresh storytelling. People watched it on day one, reviewed it, and made reels, it was surreal," he said.