Lokah Chapter 1 Movie Review & Rating: “It is extremely difficult to impress you, Malayali film audiences. You guys don’t like ‘anything’ and nitpick everything you watch” — this gentle jab is something Malayalees have often heard, making them wonder if enjoying a brain candy is not a task they can handle. But no, it’s not their fault. It’s just how their industry raised them, consistently offering good works. Even most of their “commercial entertainers” have heart and voice. Celebrating writers and directors is a fairly common practice, and even their biggest superstars continue to take risks, paying close attention to the inner voice of the artiste within them rather than the uproar of stardom. And the latest Malayalam superhero film, Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra, underscores why their standards are so rightfully high.
Lokah is, in my opinion, one of the finest superhero films India has ever produced. What makes it far better than other massive-budget fantasy spectacles is that its magnificence extends beyond visual brilliance to include impeccable writing, offering an experience like never before. Instead of simply picking random characters and instances from Hindu mythological texts to capitalise on people’s blind belief in such stories — as most recent fantasy and superhero Indian movies have done — writer-director Dominic Arun anchors the story firmly in the rich tapestry of Kerala folklore. Yet, he doesn’t oversell it, nor does he establish a blunt divine connection to justify everything. Instead, he roots it in the familiar grounds of our socio-political history, masterfully incorporating a feminist angle too, while coating it in fantasy, thus giving the film a beating heart and a flickering mind.
From the very beginning, Dominic ensures that both the visuals and the writing are opulent and complement each other without allowing one to overshadow the other. Though set in Bengaluru, he avoids unnecessarily romanticising the city as many have done over the years. Instead, he masterfully makes the city co-exist with Chandra (Kalyani Priyadarshan), who has just moved there after living in Sweden for 20 years. Interestingly, the bustle and rush of the city serve as a perfect blanket for her, as she can only venture out at night. If exposed to sunlight, her body will start to boil, as she is a yakshi (female nature spirit) who has been “living among us” for centuries. Even as the camera shifts between Chandra’s apartment and the one across the street, where Sunny (Naslen) and Venu (Chandu Salimkumar), two carefree and almost unemployed youths, reside, the director never allows Lokah to stray. Instead, he makes every move with precision, ensuring that each moment carries significance and builds towards something larger.
The collective rapport among Dominic, cinematographer Nimish Ravi, and editor Chaman Chakko works wonders in their brilliant ways of bringing uniqueness to different scenes, based on their respective tones, without adhering to a single style throughout. Although they maintain a rich but understated colour palette nearly all the time, the rhythm, pacing, frequency of cuts, and lighting patterns are all well thought out and directly connected to the essence of each moment. In other words, the movie’s not just about grand production design, slow-motion shots and hefty visual effects. Even while ensuring such richness and detail in the visuals, Dominic doesn’t compromise on the writing — thanks also to actor Santhy Balachandran, who has been credited with additional screenplay and dramaturgy — and places the emotions correctly, thus building a resonant and cohesive world. And the cherry on top is that the humour also lands effortlessly, as the makers mostly draw it from the conversations and equations between Sunny, Venu, and their friend Naijil (Arun Kurian).
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Even as the movie progresses, we aren’t offered all the answers immediately and are kept in the dark for quite some time, allowing us to formulate our own theories based on what unfolds on screen. This includes Chandra’s Flash-like speed, her hesitance to go out during the day, her occasionally revealed fangs, and her love for blood. However, in one of the most dramatic and impactful backstory reveals in the genre, we learn that Chandra is actually Kalliyankattu Neeli, an illustrious yakshi in Kerala folklore, who has been called back to India by other nature spirits for a mission. While popular culture has often portrayed Neeli as a malevolent spirit, Dominic reimagines her as the saviour of the outcast and marginalised, having risen from among the tribals and not the savarnas or royal lineages. Considering that women who were smart, self-sufficient, and nonconformist were once labelled witches and massacred, this characterisation also serves to subvert the stereotypical portrayal of Neeli. The execution of the entire pre-interval sequence, featuring magnificent stunt choreography by Yannick Ben, as the movie cross-cuts between Neeli’s origin story and current events, ranks as cinematic excellence at its peak — something that even big-budget star vehicles have struggled to achieve in recent times.
However, the exceptionally high momentum it initially achieved dips slightly in the second half, as the narrative gets very packed by numerous elements — including a romance blooming between Chandra and Sunny, with a past-life connection too — that Dominic struggles to give equal importance to everything. As a result, the second half ends up feeling somewhat rushed, with certain elements introduced earlier being forgotten and characters overlooked, which affects the overall quality of the movie a bit. Nonetheless, the introduction of Chaathan (Tovino Thomas), the flashback scenes featuring Kathanar (Sunny Wayne), and glimpses of the many other characters in the Wayfarer Cinematic Universe, who will make their official appearances in subsequent installments, do compensate to an extent for the sudden dip.
Lokah also demonstrates, by example, how to create a supervillain from the surroundings, rather than thin air. From the very first time we see Inspector Nachiyappa Gowda (Sandy), he embodies all that is evil. As a cop, he isn’t just corrupt but also extremely misogynistic, making him the perfect rival to a female superhero. Step by step, Dominic fleshes out Nachiyappa’s character, revealing just how much rot lies within each layer of him. Thus, the final revelation of him receiving powers akin to Chandra sends chills down people’s spines, knowing well just how bad things can go with him on the loose. Sandy’s performance here, even more sinister than his role in Leo (2023), further elevates the character, making him the worthy Joker to Chandra’s Batman.
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Lokah should be prescribed as a reference text for all Indian filmmakers who aspire to create superhero movies, as it illustrates how to strike the right balance between visual and narrative brilliance. It also indirectly highlights what might have gone wrong with movies like Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva (2022) and Kalki 2898 AD (2024), where the makers ignored including heart and soul, amid the relentless efforts to ensure visual grandeur to justify the billions spent and the connections to Hindu mythology to get the audience emotionally invested without the need to employing own creativity. With Dulquer Salmaan, who has bankrolled the movie, making an appearance as Odiyan in the first post-credit scene, the future of this cinematic universe looks promising. I hope it doesn’t get crushed under the weight of the benchmark it has set here, or worse, fall victim to market pressures, resulting in an attempt to bite off more than it can chew, ultimately leading to a backfire.
Lokah should be prescribed as a reference text for all Indian filmmakers who aspire to create superhero movies. (Credit: Facebook/@DQsWayfarerfilms)
Much like Mukundan Unni Associates, which turned out to be the finest performance by Vineeth Sreenivasan so far — since he just needed to maintain a stoic face throughout, as emoting complex emotions isn’t his strong suit — Dominic Arjun keeps in mind Kalyani Priyadarshan’s limitations as an actor and makes her do only what is required. He never pushes her to take on too much; instead, he focuses on her physical agility and her ability to ace action sequences, which she demonstrated in Antony (2023) as well. The party scene where Kalyani enters Sunny’s apartment in a white dress with the classic track “Kiliye Kiliye” playing in the background is also a spectacular moment, highlighting her inherent charm.
Naslen once again proves that he is one of the most talented actors of his generation, adept at handling both comedy and intense emotions splendidly. The effortless way in which he builds chemistry with his co-stars — evident here in his rapport with Kalyani and Chandu — only adds to the strength of his portrayal. Chandu shines as Venu, particularly since his character is not a shadow of the iconic roles played by his father, actor Salim Kumar. Jakes Bejoy’s music is also spectacular from start to finish, giving the world of Lokah a unique touch.
Lokah Chapter 1 movie cast: Kalyani Priyadarshan, Naslen K Gafoor, Sandy Master, Arun Kurian, Chandu Salimkumar
Lokah Chapter 1 movie director: Dominic Arun
Lokah Chapter 1 movie rating: 4 stars
