Did Rima Kallingal Claim Credit for Paving Way for ‘Lokah’ Box Office Success? Here’s What Happened! (Watch Video)

Actress Rima Kallingal is busy promoting her upcoming drama Theatre: The Myth of Reality, speaking at press conferences about the film and her career. Recently, at a media interaction, Rima, who is married to filmmaker Aashiq Abu, was asked about the unprecedented success of Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra. Rima Kallingal Takes Legal Action Against Tamil Singer Suchitra Over Rave Party Allegations, Files Complaint and Sends Defamation Notice.

The superhero blockbuster, starring Kalyani Priyadarshan and Naslen and directed by Dominic Arun, recently became Malayalam cinema’s highest-grossing film of all time and the first Malayalam movie to surpass INR 300 crore worldwide at the box office.

The question arose in reference to actress Nyla Usha’s social media post celebrating Lokah’s historic success, in which Nyla credited pioneers like Rima Kallingal and Darshana Rajendran for advocating greater visibility for women in Malayalam cinema.

Rima’s response went viral, with some portals alleging that she had claimed credit for Lokah’s record-breaking achievement. Like the below post,

Trolls quickly pounced on the remark, and even #MeToo-accused actor-producer Vijay joined the fray with a Facebook post attributing the film’s success solely to Dulquer Salmaan’s Wayfarer Films. He sarcastically added that no one had claimed credit for classics like Vaishali, Unniyarcha, Adaminte Vaariyellu, Panchagni, How Old Are You, and 22FK (which had starred Rima Kallingal in the lead), emphasising that Malayalam cinema has always celebrated strong women-centric stories.

This raised the question: did Rima Kallingal actually try to hijack Lokah’s success?

What Rima Kallingal Actually Said About 'Lokah' Success

The answer is no. Speaking at a New India Express forum, Rima clarified her position when asked about Lokah and Nyla’s post. She said, "I think we shouldn’t take away anything from the team (Lokah). That said, I think all of these conversations kind of led to a space into which this movie is being given today." She emphasised that this progress wasn’t due solely to her or Darshana’s advocacy on feminist issues but was the result of collective discussions and debates across the industry and society.

She continued, "We’ve collectively created a space where such films can exist. The audience here values good cinema, regardless of gender. The real bias lies within the industry - female-led films face smaller budgets even though audiences pay the same. If the craft suffers, it isn't the viewers' fault. We need equal financial and distribution support." Mammootty’s Nostalgia Magic: From ‘Thudarum’ to ‘Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra’, How Malayalam Superstar’s Old Songs Proved To Be 2025’s Box Office Lucky Charm!

It’s clear that when Rima said, "We've collectively created a space where such films can exist," she was referring not to herself or other outspoken actresses but to the Kerala audience and the filmmakers who made these stories possible. She praised the audience for embracing quality cinema regardless of gender, highlighting that they had helped build a supportive environment for films like Lokah to thrive.

You can watch the video here to get the whole context.

Rima Kallingal's Post Clarifying on the Controversy

However, her words were taken out of context by certain portals, sparking unwarranted criticism. Rima, who is an active member of WCC (Women in Cinema Collective) has been consistent in crediting the creative team behind Lokah for its monumental success while recognising the audience’s role in enabling female-led stories to flourish at the box office.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 07, 2025 04:10 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).