#KetchupTalks - "Lord Krishna himself chose Shruhad Goswami for Laalo!" - Ankit Sakhiya

In an exclusive conversation with us, director of Laalo, Ankit Sakhiya, opened up on the success of this film, his creative choices and what lies ahead for him as a filmmaker! 

The box office success of the Gujarati film Laalo: Krishna Sada Sahaayate proves that quality content triumphs star power. Made on a tiny budget of Rs. 50 lakh and shot using just a single borrowed camera, the film grossed over Rs. 120 crore worldwide by early 2026. The raw sincerity of Laalo’s storytelling, focusing on a debt-ridden rickshaw driver’s journey of spiritual awakening through divine intervention, proved that regional cinema doesn’t need grand sets, elaborate action sequences or complex stories to sway the audience or take note of their mettle if it has its heart in the right place.  

Ankit Sakhiya, the young visionary behind this phenomenon, has quietly become one of the most inspiring new voices in Indian cinema. His deep passion for filmmaking, which is shining through every single frame of Laalo - a film that overcame its modest resources with sheer creative honesty and authenticity. In an industry often ruled by big budgets and elaborate marketing, here was a small-town story that proved real heart could win over everything else. Now that Laalo has released in Hindi and reached a wider audience, we sat down with the director to talk about the incredible journey of the film, his idea behind the pan-India release and what he’s really taken away from this unexpected success.

Also Read: Laalo- Krishna Sada Sahaayate review: An uneven yet deeply human saga of finding the divine within!

Here's what he had to say!

Laalo started slow but became the highest-grossing Gujarati film to cross Rs. 100 crore. What do you think sparked that incredible word-of-mouth magic?

Yes, the film did start slowly, but it truly became a blockbuster because of its incredibly strong word-of-mouth. While our marketing and promotional efforts certainly helped, it was the genuine love and organic sharing from audiences that carried it to this level.

How did you balance the raw struggles of the characters in the film with such deep hope and faith without making it feel preachy?

From the beginning, I was very clear that I didn’t want the film to feel preachy or like it was lecturing anyone. Instead, I focused on conveying everything through cinematic language-showing rather than telling. I wrote the protagonist as a rickshaw driver as a metaphor for life's journey, where we ordinary people learn lessons through the advice and experiences shared by passengers along the way. Our only intent was to make a simple, normal film driven by pure emotion.

Shubham Gajjar's cinematography in the film has been getting a lot of love. How did you two make such powerful visuals on a small budget feel this emotional and real?

Shubham and I have been collaborating since our college days and early filmmaking experiments. He has always had this remarkable clarity about how to capture scenes beautifully, even on the tightest budgets. We discuss the types of shots we want for each scene but Shubham has a truly special connection with the camera - whatever he shoots turns out stunning. That innate sense of visuals was invaluable for Laalo.

After such massive success in Gujarati, what excites you most about Hindi audiences discovering Laalo's message now?

Since Laalo became such a blockbuster in Gujarati, we felt it was our responsibility to share it with Hindi audiences as well. I'm confident they'll embrace it and make it a success too. Everyone should watch and feel this film-it's not just a movie, it's an experience. That's why I'm sure people will love the Hindi version. Even if it doesn't perform as expected, it's still a bonus that our story is reaching so many more hearts. Now, let's see what Lord Krishna has planned for us!

What made you certain that Shruhad Goswamiwas the only actor who could bring your vision of Krishna to life on-screen?

Shruhad is divine in real life too - his nature, presence, and way of speaking all carry that quality. He's also a dear friend. When I pitched him the role of Lord Krishna, he wasn't sure at first because he had been growing his hair long for three years for another project. But I was persistent. I truly believe he was destined for this role, and in the end, it feels like Krishna himself chose him to portray this version.

How do you feel about this success? Did you expect the film to receive this much love?

I never expected anything like this, though as humans, we always hope things will work out in our favor. The feeling is overwhelming and amazing-I still don't quite know how to fully receive or process it. It hasn't completely sunk in yet; we're still trying to understand exactly what's happening. But I'm truly glad that people are watching the film with pure emotion and open hearts. I'm enjoying and accepting this love as much as I can. 

Looking back at the journey from a tiny budget to this pan-India Hindi release, how has making Laalo changed your own view of God and cinema? 

I'm truly grateful to God! The core message of the film - 'Tu karm kar, fal ki chinta mat kar' - guided us completely. We decided to do our job sincerely despite the tiny budget, and still deliver a film that honestly feels worth 100 crores.  We wanted to create rich, immersive cinema. Instead of focusing on what we lacked, we concentrated fully on what we had-and pushed ourselves to optimize every single resource to achieve larger-than-life storytelling.  Going forward, whenever I make films, I’ll always carry this belief - 'I managed to make such a big film when I had almost nothing. Now that I have something; how much better can I do than my last work?'

Does this success change how the world consumes and approaches Gujarati cinema?

Gujarati cinema has been around for a long time but it's only now reaching this level of recognition. It's a surprising and rich industry. Our country has experienced so many kinds of cinema, but Gujarati stories still feel fresh and unexplored for many. The world is now getting to witness its depth. This success brings confidence to the entire industry-and to me personally. I had two to three good scripts in hand before, but I wasn't sure if I could make them. Now I ask myself - "Why not?" This is truly a divine time for Gujarati cinema.

What are you working on currently? What should the audience be excited about?

I have two to three scripts ready but I'm not sure which one we'll move forward with yet. Once we're fully done promoting Laalo, we'll take a short break and then decide the next step. Nothing has fully clicked so far.

Laalo (Hindi) is playing in theatres near you!

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