Lokah Chapter 1 became one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of all time. Receiving a lot of love from the audience, the fantasy superhero film has grossed nearly Rs 200 crore in two weeks. However, headlining Lokah Chapter 1 – Chandra, Kalyani Priyadarshan had won the hearts of the Malayalam cinema audience as India’s first female superhero.

After Mohanlal’s L2: Empuraan, Malayalam cinema has created big waves at the Indian box office. Dulquer Salmaan’s Lokah Chapter 1 – Chandra’s superhero, Kalyani Priyadarshan, was elated by the immensely positive response. Taking to social media, she posted that she was “speechless” and “grateful” for the success. “In our industry, content has always been king, the biggest star of all,” she remarked.

Who is Kalyani Priyadarshan?

The acclaimed actress is the daughter of none other than renowned filmmaker Priyadarshan and actress Lissy. Known for her versatile roles, her lineage brings her closer to Malayali cinema, but her performance has won her several prestigious awards. Born in 1993, Kalyani attended the Lady Andal School, Chennai and reportedly went to Singapore for higher education.

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Architectural Design from Parsons School of Design, New York. Reports also reveal that she was always involved in theatre throughout her education, including her time in the US and Pondicherry.

ALSO READ

Kalyani Priyadarshan made her acting debut in the Telugu film Hello in 2017. But, she worked behind the scenes as an assistant production designer for Krrish 3 (2013) and an assistant art director in Iru Mugan (2016). For her 2017 film, she won a SIIMA Award and a Filmfare Award for the category, Best Female Debut.

In Malayali cinema, she first appeared in 2020 for the film Varane Avashyamund. There was no stopping her then; she had acted in Tamil and Telugu films such as Chitralahari, Maanaadu, Bro Daddy (2022), Thallumaala (2022), and Shesham Mike-il Fathima (2023). Her latest, Lokah Chapter 1 – Chandra has won big at the Indian box office in 2025.

After its stellar box office success, Lokah, which debuted female superheroes in India, was also commemorated by Amul. Known for its quirky moment marketing ads, Amul dedicated it to the Kalyani Priyadarshan starrer Lokah Chapter 1.

Lokah Chapter 1 – Chandra: Box Office Collection

The female-led horror-comedy genre was aced by the Dulquer Salmaan directorial. With a slow opening day of Rs 2.7 crore, Lokah Chapter 1 was quick to flip the script. After earning more than Rs 17 crore on its opening weekend, the Kalyani Priyadarshan starrer grossed nearly Rs 55 crore in week 1. Performing consistently, the superhero film collected an even higher amount on its second weekend. It stumped the sales of Bollywood’s rom-com Param Sundari’s sales largely taking a large share of the audience from the Southern states in India. As per the industry tracker, Sacnilk, Lokah Chapter 1 has crossed more than Rs 98 crore so far.