How Dubai businessman and Kerala producer built a dystopian Bengaluru in 'Lokah' and 'Kanthara' blockbusters

Dubai: In a thriving film industry where actors and directors often command the spotlight, National Award-winning production designer Banglan has quietly built a reputation as one of Indian cinema’s most imaginative forces.

His latest film Lokah marks a major milestone in his career — a visually daring project that blends super woman tale with a contemporary dystopian world. He brought to life by recreating an entire Bengaluru-like metropolis inside Kochi.

But did you know there's a strong Dubai connection to Banglan’s creative journey. As Head of Productions at the Dubai-based Huckster Productions, he plays a pivotal role in shaping large-scale South Indian films from a global production perspective.

Hailing from Malappuram in Kerala, Banglan has long been celebrated for his ability to build worlds that transcend the screen.

But Lokah has taken his reputation to soaring new heights. Rooted in Kerala’s mythic characters yet styled like an international superhero saga, the film demanded an entirely original universe. Bengaluru, the bustling tech capital, could not be shot on location due to logistical challenges—so Banglan recreated an entire dystopian metropolis inside Kochi.

“Such projects come once in a lifetime,” he said in an exclusive interview with Gulf News.

“As an artist, you can only experiment with this scale in a major metro city. We brought that dream alive in Kochi.”

For Banglan, it was more than a technical challenge—there was a personal connection. As Head of Productions at Dubai-based Huckster Productions, he is now contributing to the city’s growing role in global filmmaking.

Like many Keralites, Banglan grew up hearing stories of Dubai as a land of dreams. But unlike most, he transformed that dream into a creative empire.

“Dubai has always represented possibility,” he says. “It’s where vision meets infrastructure.”

His connection to Dubai goes beyond business—it is emotional, cultural, and generational. The deep bond between Kerala and Dubai, historically built on trust and opportunity, has now evolved into a cinematic partnership. From Kurup, produced by actor Dulquer Salmaan's company, to Lokah, whose production layout began on Dubai’s drawing boards, his journey is inseparable from the city’s rise as a creative powerhouse.

Banglan’s story began not as a filmmaker but as a drawing artist. His extraordinary sketching ability led him into the world of production design—a profession he entered out of passion, not strategy.

His defining moment came with Kanthara, a landmark film that immersed audiences in the folklore, mysticism, and raw energy of Karnataka’s Bhoota Kola traditions. While Kantara celebrated indigenous mythology, Lokah propelled him into the realm of myth-meets-modernity.

“Every film demands its own world,” Banglan explains. “For Kanthara, I stepped into ancient forests and rituals. For Lokah, I stepped into the future.” That ability—to adapt, rebuild, and innovate—is what sets him apart.

Production design is often invisible to audiences, yet it is the foundation of every story.

In Lokah, Banglan didn’t merely design sets—he constructed an entire contemporary city. Kochi became a dystopian Bengaluru, with interiors transformed into futuristic government war rooms, grungy underground labs, and superhero hideouts. The city itself became a character, pulsing with narrative intent.

Despite the pressure, Banglan and his team were not chasing a commercial formula.

“We never anticipated Lokah would be such a blockbuster,” he said. “All we wanted was to make a great film.”

That humility is backed by discipline. Working across Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Hindi industries, he operates with a global vision rooted in cultural authenticity. He firmly believes Kerala’s filmmaking ethos has evolved post-OTT, pushing every creator to think beyond boundaries.

With Kantara: Chapter 1 and Lokah becoming this year's biggest blockbusters from South India, Banglan’s calendar is packed. But it is his Dubai chapter that may prove his most transformative.

At Huckster Productions, he is incubating projects where design leads storytelling, not the other way around. “This is the future,” he says. “Dubai is not just a film location—it is becoming the headquarters of imagination.”

From winning the National Film Award for Kammara Sambhavam to redefining cinematic scale in Lokah, Banglan has consistently elevated Indian cinema. But his biggest success is not a single film—it is his ability to turn cities into characters, dreams into dimensions, and folklore into futuristic mythology.