Dominic Arun: 'Audience Has Taken Over Lokah & Made It Their Own Film'
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In conversation with Subha J Rao, Dominic discusses creating the world of Lokah, the writing and ideation process, and the bonds formed during the making of the film.
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THE WORLD might be celebrating Dominic Arun, whose sophomore Malayalam movie Lokah - Chapter One: Chandra has wowed audiences, set the box office on fire, and got fans sharing their theories on social media. And, Kalyani Priyadarshan becomes the first heroine from the South to spearhead a 200-plus crore film. But the reason we got to see the film is a bunch of friends who backed Dominic when he was at his lowest, much like Sunny’s band of boys in Lokah. After his 2017 film Tharangam with Tovino Thomas and Santhy Balachandran did not do as well as expected, he was plagued by self-doubt, wondering if he was in the right field at all. Dominic took a break, overcame his dark phase and began writing again. “That was a very lean patch. It is very lonely in the industry when you’re not doing well or when you don’t have work. I am not a very social person, and I isolated myself. Luckily, I had family and friends who were very supportive. Friends from school and college and Tharangam, including Tovino, sustained me.” But that phase, Dominic feels, prepared him for today. “I went through the lows early on in my career, so I am much more grounded during the highs. I am also trying to stay as real as possible and not get swayed. Yes, Lokah has done well, and it is a very happy space to be in, but this space is not permanent.” Stream the latest Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada releases, with OTTplay's Power Play monthly pack, for only Rs 149. |
Dominic has taken a few weeks off, and once the film’s promotions are done (they are scheduled to visit the UK later this month), the architect of the Lokah universe hopes to get back to something he does best — world-building. Dominic discusses creating the world of Lokah, the writing and ideating process, and the bonds formed in a freewheeling conversation. |
| | Robert Redford's Never-Say-Die Regality
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A crusader of art as disruption and evolution as art, he quietly influenced generations of lovers, livers, doers and dreamers. He was always, wholly, Robert Redford. Rahul Desai writes.
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FOR CINEPHILES, he had the aura of a movie star. For fans, he had the gravity of a storyteller. For Hollywood, he had the independence of a striver. For people, he had the generosity of a humanitarian. For women, he had the charisma of a man. For men, he had the presence of a leader. He was ahead of his time as an American and defied the idea of time as a celebrity. He was everything, everywhere, all at once. He was Robert Redford: a reel and real hero so perfectly assembled that he entertained, reflected and changed the world at once. A crusader of art as disruption and evolution as art, he quietly influenced generations of lovers, livers, doers and dreamers. He was always, wholly, Robert Redford. Redford was the kind of larger-than-life-but-also-charmer-next-door figure who was remembered even when he was alive. He was remembered for who he was, what he represented, how he carried himself, who he cared for, when he spoke, and why he existed. He was a living memory even as he used cinema as a medium to do more. To know more. To create and share more. To use tradition as a catalyst for modernity. Now that he’s gone, he is impossible to forget. His legacy is such that he belongs to anything we consume, admire or anguish about: fiction, fascism, activism, politics, humanity. When I was a child, his face was the first I imagined when people spoke of fame and stardom. If my dad mentioned James Bond, for some reason, I thought of Redford. If my dad mentioned Woodhouse, Eastwood or The Beatles, I thought of Redford without realising it too. |
| | India vs Pakistan, Asia Cup Super Fours: A Grudge Match, Reloaded
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Karan Pradhan previews the emotionally charged IND vs PAK Super Fours clash where cricketing stakes meet off-field tensions in a pride-on-the-line rematch between fierce rivals.
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GATHER ROUND, one and all, for Round 2 of India-Pakistan at the T20 Asia Cup is upon us! The first encounter was mildly anticlimactic with Pakistan stuttering and stumbling to 127/9 and India wrapping things up with a little over four overs in hand. In the final analysis, Sahibzada Farhan’s patient 40 runs off 44 balls and Shaheen Shah Afridi’s blistering 33 (20) were no match for Kuldeep Yadav’s 3/18, Abhishek Sharma’s 31 (13), Suryakumar Yadav’s 47 (37) and Tilak Varma’s 31 off as many balls. Just as we all thought the match and its result had been consigned to the history books, there came a twist. Team India’s refusal to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts lit a tinderbox of outrage. PCB officials threatened to pull their team out of the tournament if match referee Andy Pycroft — who approved the no-handshake plan — wasn’t removed from the Asia Cup. Ultimately, the Pakistani board had to make do with an apology from the Zimbabwean cricketer-turned-official. And matters on this front appear to be far from over with reports suggesting that after video-recording the apology, the PCB may be in hot water with the ICC over ‘multiple violations’ of the Players and Match Officials Area protocol. |
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