'Lokah' production designer takes a DIG at films made on huge budgets: '80 percent of it goes into actors’ salaries'

Dulquer Salmaan-backed 'Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra' is running successfully in theaters. The film has been shot in Kerala, but the makers showcased it as Bengaluru with a neon and cyberpunk palette. That's where National Award-winning production designer Banglan came into the picture.

In a recent interview, he shared the behind-the-scenes process and how he came on board for the film. He also took an indirect dig at massive-budget films with low-quality production design.

Banglan talks about his thought process behind recreating Bengaluru

In an interview with Cinema Express, Banglan was asked about his thought process behind recreating Bengaluru in different locations of Kerala. The production designer stated that one can just shoot the film in the city itself; however, they had a certain plan, design, and mood for the setting. He stated that most of the detailed shots were filmed in Bengaluru, but exterior scenes were shot in controlled settings.


He said, "It was not about building an entirely new set, but about adapting existing locations to show what we wanted on screen."

Banglan takes a dig at films with massive budgets but low-quality production design

In the same interview, Banglan stated that he tries his best not to use the whole budget on building sets. He added that, instead, he finds "original locations whenever possible, because our industry has financial limits."

Speaking further about the budget, the production designer added, "It is not enough for the sets to look good; the film itself has to be strong. If money is spent, it has to be visible in the frame."

He expressed that the quality has been maintained in the film from start to end, and the audience can see it. Taking a dig at movies made on enormous budgets, he said, "In other industries, 80 percent of the budget often goes into actors’ salaries."

Banglan shared that they have used the budget more on the making of the movie, and every penny spent is "visible in the frames." Making another comment, he added, "We are able to complete films within the quoted budget, which is not always the case elsewhere."