One of the unexpected pleasures of growing up in Kerala with elders around is the wealth of folklore they pass down, like an inheritance. Some of my richest memories are of hearing (or overhearing) stories rooted in the state’s mythical lore. Kottarathil Shankunni’s ‘Aithihyamala’, a bible of such characters, sits pretty on my bookshelf to date. I often wonder where its relevance stands today in the era of superheroes and multiverses. As if in answer, Dominic Arun’s Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra borrows from these unique tales that mix history, culture, and religion to create marvellous new ideas.
Lokah opens with Chandra (Kalyani Priyadarshan), a mysterious woman, arriving in Bengaluru. Dark and Gotham-like, the suburb buzzes with life, while her apartment feels like a crime dungeon with an eerie ambience and strange visitors. Opposite her window (which she keeps covered with newspaper sheets) lives jobless Sunny (Naslen K Gafoor) with his friend Venu (Chandu Salimkumar), a medical college dropout who faints at the sight of blood. Along with Naijil (Arun Kurian), they form a hilarious trio that befriends Chandra for the adrenaline ride of their lives.
Who is Chandra? An organ trafficker, a vigilante, a witch, or something even more dangerous? Lokah Chapter 1: reveals nothing until the interval, when a massive secret emerges, making Sunny faint and us drop our collective jaws.
Soon, we learn it is a person called Moothon who summoned Chandra from Sweden to Bengaluru. With his aide Prakash (Nishanth Sagar) supporting her needs, she reads a mysterious book by an author who knows something about her past. Later, we meet him as a loving grandfather (a superb Vijayaraghavan) narrating Chandra’s origin story to a curious little girl.
In this beautifully edited sequence (Chaman Chacko), we witness the return of Kadamattathu Kathanar (Sunny Wayne, perfectly cast) ‒ Malayalam folklore’s beloved priest. The storytelling here oscillates between past and present, interlinking Kerala’s mythical icons with the present events. This way, by assigning its protagonist shades of humanity, Lokah Chapter 1 feels timely and organic. After all, humans are more dangerous than any paranormal creature out for revenge.
Dominic Arun and Santhy Balachandran’s screenplay is smart enough to drop many hints before we learn the truth. At one point, Sunny and Venu are seen watching the 1978 film Kadamattathachan on television. When Chandra first visits Sunny (set to Ilaiyaraaja’s Kiliye Kiliye), the housecat Jango reacts aggressively. The visit is notably the only time she appears in white, looking angelic yet weird.
Parallelly, Lokah Chapter 1 explores an organ-trafficking racket. In an encounter between them and a white-saree-clad woman, we meet the film’s antagonist, Nachiyappa (Sandy), a Tamil-speaking misogynist cop who behaves as if he’s one accident away from becoming a supervillain. The film cleverly delays his face-off with Chandra but teases it from afar, as when he raids Sunny’s apartment during Naijil’s birthday. Lokah Chapter 1 keeps adding amusing characters (including a superstar cameo) and sustains its energy as it builds to the final act.
As Dominic’s film positions itself as Chapter 1 of a superhero universe, it leaves us with questions. Who was Daniel, the author, and his seemingly sick grandchild? What about the deaf white cat? Why did Soubin Shahir (and other familiar faces) vanish before we could make sense of them?
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Coming back to the central plot, Chandra’s weaknesses are sunlight and ‘heart’. As a metaphor, we can dissect the latter aspect through the romantic track between her and Sunny, which is the film’s emotional core. Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra isn’t conventionally romantic with flowers, dialogue, or songs. Yet, there’s rhythm and progression to the couple’s interactions. From Sunny following her on the streets to reaching a strange place to “rescue” her, we see how he’s a green flag from the beginning. Sunny knows Chandra is different. Despite his fears and fainting spells, he never deserts her. This version of love is something most genre films with mush and melodrama can’t sell to us.
DOP Nimish Ravi renders Lokah Chapter 1 with a comic-book-like texture that makes it easy to immerse in its universe. CGI, grading, and lighting make it one of the most unusually framed Malayalam films in years. Composer Jakes Bejoy provides a soundscape fusing myth, mystery, horror, and action. The score and sound design feel hip and modern, which the video-game-obsessed generation will dive into.
Among the leads, Kalyani Priyadarshan owns the screen in the titular role. Chandra is a lioness who speaks less and acts more. With her gothic appearance and deathly stare, the actor shapeshifts so well that her spunky past roles quietly exit our memory. Crucially, Lokah Chapter 1 isn’t a one-woman show. Naslen, with his charming humour very much in place, is the film’s conscience. Sunny’s innocent repartees and unwavering support for Chandra will have our hearts beaming with joy. In fact, their romance is a less showy version of what is between Shraddha Kapoor and Rajkummar Rao in the Stree franchise.
The supporting cast is a riot with Chandu Salimkumar leading the pack. While he does remind us of his iconic father, the actor has a distinct comic style that the industry can use in many creative ways. Arun Kurian, with his awkward smile and sharp one-liners, had the theatre in splits. Sandy is a revelation, making Nachiyappa a truly loathsome entity. In a chilling scene in his home’s prayer cabinet, he declares himself God, terrifying his mother and us alike.
As a context-setter for upcoming editions, Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra may feel a touch overstuffed with cameos and post-credit scenes. Yet it stands tall on its own, with plenty to say about society’s evil. Unlike American supervillains who seek the unthinkable, like control or destruction of the planet, Lokah’s villains are disturbingly real. “A girl like you should be at your home at this hour, not a friend’s.” You’ll never hear Thanos or the Joker say something like that. Nachiyappa does, and the film knows he must be dealt with.
Over to the next editions, Dominic, Dulquer Salmaan, and team.
Rating: ★★★★ 1/2
