After many years, directors Priyadarshan and Akshay Kumar are joining hands for a film titled Bhoot Bangla, which will release on April 10, 2026. In a recent conversation with us at Pinkvilla, the filmmaker shared a lot from his career and ongoing projects, and even reacted about his daughter. Kalyani Priyadarshan‘s blockbuster hit, Loca Chapter 1: Chandra.
Speaking exclusively with us, the filmmaker revealed how happy he is as a father to see her work in the film, even recalling the time when he told Nagarjuna Akkineni that his daughter couldn’t act.
Priyadarshan Said, “I have never discussed any of my films with her, nor has she discussed any of her work with me, because she is of this era and has her own way of making cinema, whereas I come from the old school. We never discuss films.”
“As a father, I am very proud that she has done amazing work. Originally, I never thought she would face the camera because, as a child, she would never come to a film set. Later, she was an architecture student. Suddenly, Nagarjuna The director said, “I called and asked if she wanted to work in films, and I said she couldn’t act.”
The filmmaker added, “She asked me, ‘Why can’t I try it? I have nothing to lose, and even if things don’t work out, I’ll go back to being an architect.’ After that, I never asked what she was doing. She couldn’t even speak Malayalam because she had never lived in Kerala, but she learned all these things. It’s not just about my daughter; All children today, when they want to achieve something, try everything possible to achieve it. Talking about Loca, I appreciated everything in the film. They made something like Avengers, but it is believable for the Indian audience.
When asked if he had attended any premieres of Kalyani’s films, Priyadarshan humorously revealed that he had “better things to do”, and added that he had only seen a few of her films, and that too after hearing good things from word of mouth.
Looking ahead, the director was also asked about his 100th starring film Mohanlal In the lead role. In response, the Oppam director said, “If you ask me, I like making serious films… I don’t like making comedy films. I’m forced to make comedy films. I feel like I’ve run out of ideas, so I think I’ll make another comedy film, and that’s enough.”
Here is the exclusive interview:
Director Priyadarshan will soon hit the big screen with his film Bhoot Bangla starring Akshay Kumar. Apart from the Khiladi actor, the fantasy horror comedy will also star Paresh Rawal, Tabu, Wamiqa Gabbi, Rajpal Yadav, Asrani and others in lead roles.
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