A true high point in a film is when the viewer feels one with the narrative’s conscience. In that moment, disbelief stays suspended, distance dissolves, and a magical sense of identification takes over. When red-haired, athleisure-clad Chandra’s real identity is revealed on screen, it is hard for any Malayali woman not to cheer in exhilaration. Kalyani Priyadarshan brings to life Malayalam cinema’s first woman superhero—a mindful retelling of a familiar mythical character, weighed down by the male gaze for far too long.
In a cinematic landscape dominated by male superhero universes, Dominic Arun’s Lokah: Chapter 1–Chandra reinterprets who gets to wear the cape in Malayalam cinema.
The narrative opens in Bengaluru, where Chandra (Kalyani Priyadarshan) moves into a frugal apartment. She works the night shift at a cafe and sticks to her odd routine. Chandra is no ordinary woman. She moves like the wind, swoops down skyscrapers, and delivers punches. But she has one weakness– the heart. Chandra’s heart is in the right place, though she can, at once, be both protector and predator. It depends on who you are.
Her kitchen window opens to the balcony of another apartment right across the street. That is how Sunny (Naslen), Nigil (Arun Kurien), and Venu (Chandu Salimkumar), three aimless bachelors adept at wasting time, make way into Chandra’s life. Sunny develops a romantic attraction to her, only to realise that she is nothing like any woman he has met before.
It is through Naslen’s moments of discovery that the viewer, too, gets to grasp Chandra’s powers and weaknesses. Those scenes are not just entertaining — they’re sharply written to challenge the male imagination of what a woman should and shouldn’t be.
Naslen is endearing as Sunny, a man who is both intimidated and intrigued by a woman who is no ordinary mortal. Though his affection may never materialise, Sunny sees Chandra for who she is. Naslen walks the tightrope of Sunny’s fatal attraction with genuine ease.
Chandu is refreshing as the unfocused, mostly stoned bachelor with his own quirks.
As for Kalyani Priyadarshan, the film is all her’s. She is convincing as the agile, fierce, yet soft Chandra, destined for the emotional detachment greatness demands.
Editor Chaman Chakko and music director Jakes Bejoy elevate Lokah’s mystery. Cinematographer Nimish Ravi does a clean job. Stunt choreographer Yannick Ben deserves special mention for the seamless action pieces, which add authenticity to the narrative.
Lokah’s most striking aspect, however, is its investment in world-building. A mysterious book written by an eccentric doctor (Vijayaraghavan) titled They Live Among Us gets multiple mentions in the film. By the climax, the viewer dreads or even wishes that mythical characters exist among humans, secretly warding off evil.
Lokah closes with a slight glimpse of what is to come– a Kerala-coded Avengers-like ensemble drawn from the lore of kings, yakshis, goddesses, chaathans, maadans, and odiyans. The setting and styling are modern, but the pulse of this cinematic universe, backed by Dulquer Salmaan’s banner Wayfarer Films, is joyously native.
Chapter 1 is not just Chandra’s striking origin story. It marks a turning point in Malayalam’s cinematic imagination. Watch Lokah not only for what it starts, but also for what it aspires to usher in.
Make sure you stay back in the theatre until after the end credits roll.
Disclaimer: This review was not paid for or commissioned by anyone associated with the film. Neither TNM nor any of its reviewers have any sort of business relationship with the film’s producers or any other members of its cast and crew.