‘Lokah’ had same budget as ‘King of Kotha’ and ‘Kurup’, says Dulquer Salmaan

Dulquer Salmaan has revealed that the budget of his latest film ‘Lokah’ was on par with his earlier big projects ‘King of Kotha’ and ‘Kurup’. Speaking at the film’s success event in Hyderabad, the actor-producer said not a single rupee was wasted and described the project as a “true big-budget film” for his team. He also confirmed that the sequel will be made on an even larger scale.

Produced under Dulquer’s Wayfarer Films banner, ‘Lokah’ marked the company’s seventh venture. “I don’t think there will be another film where such a positive and happy crew and cast come together,” he said, adding that the entire team was committed to creating a film that felt “truly special from the heart.”

Dulquer noted that he barely had to step in as a producer since the technicians and cast worked with full clarity and independence. “I visited the set only once or twice and watched the edit twice. That shows how much trust I had in this team,” he explained.

He also praised the younger actors who were part of the project. Naslen, who first worked with Wayfarer Films in ‘Varane Avashyamund’, remains a favourite. Arun Kurian, who played Dulquer’s brother in ‘Oru Yamandan Premakadha’, was singled out for earning his place in ‘Lokah’ purely on merit. The actor also expressed admiration for Chandu and highlighted his legendary father’s influence.

Addressing speculation that ‘Lokah’ was a small film, Dulquer clarified: “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.”

He credited the film’s success to the strong collaboration between Nimish and Dominic, and to Santhy Balachandran’s powerful presence. Dulquer also reserved special praise for Kalyani Priyadarshan, who played Chandra. “I doubt if anyone else could have portrayed her with such honesty and dedication. Kalyani elevated that character to another level,” he said.

Reflecting on his career, Dulquer admitted that despite having acted in over 40 films as a lead, he had never received such an overwhelming response. “‘Lokah’ is being celebrated not just across the country but around the world. My heartfelt thanks to the audience for turning this film into such a massive success,” he concluded.