Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra Movie Review: Mixed Start to Homegrown Superhero Universe
After the massive success of Minnal Murali and Prasanth Varma’s HanuMan, Indian filmmakers are steadily venturing into homegrown superhero universes. Taking that vision forward, Dulquer Salmaan has now launched the Malayalam Superhero Cinematic Universe as a producer. Its first chapter, Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra, directed by Dominic Arun and headlined by Kalyani Priyadarshan, hit theatres today. But does it live up to the hype? Let’s take a closer look.
Story
Chandra (Kalyani Priyadarshan), a mysterious, blood-drinking woman with supernatural abilities, moves to Bangalore from Sweden and takes up a night-shift job at a café. Across the street lives Sunny (Naslen), an unemployed youngster, with his friends Venu and Naijil. Meanwhile, Inspector Nachiyappa Gowda (Sandy) colludes with an organ-theft mafia. What happens when Chandra’s secretive world collides with Nachiyappa’s dark dealings? How does Sunny’s infatuation complicate matters? And why does Chandra live only by night? The answers form the spine of the film.
Performances
Casting a female superhero lead is a bold and refreshing move, and Kalyani Priyadarshan seizes the opportunity. This is easily her career-best performance—commanding, layered, and convincing. Naslen, however, walks away with the show thanks to his effortless comic timing and boy-next-door charm.
Chandu Salimkumar (Venu) perfectly complements Naslen, ensuring steady laughs. Sandy delivers a menacing turn as Nachiyappa, especially once his character evolves into something darker. Cameos are aplenty—Tovino Thomas, Dulquer Salmaan, Mammootty, and Soubin Shahir—all earning cheers, though Tovino’s part deserved stronger writing.
Technical Brilliance
Music: Jakes Bejoy’s background score enhances tension and drama, adding weight where it matters most.
Cinematography: Nimish Ravi’s camera captures Bangalore’s nightlife in a stunning, atmospheric manner—easily one of the film’s strongest aspects.
Production: Despite budgetary limits, the art direction and production design give the film a polished, visually rich feel.
Highlights
✅ Organic humour that never feels forced
✅ Strong performances across the board
✅ Striking visuals and production design
✅ Effective background score
✅ Smart detailing in the writing
Drawbacks
❌ Lack of emotional depth in the protagonist’s journey
❌ Chandra’s purpose feels underdeveloped
❌ Convenient writing in parts, especially around subplots
Analysis
Dominic Arun smartly opens with the thought, “All legends have an element of truth,” grounding the narrative in a “what if our myths still live among us?” premise. Instead of overloading with VFX, the film cleverly uses real locations, practical design, and atmospheric visuals to create grandeur on a modest budget.
The organic humour is the film’s biggest strength—arising naturally from situations rather than forced gags. The cameos, though crowd-pleasing, are used sensibly without derailing the story. Some standout moments, like the pre-interval sequence employing back-and-forth editing, show Arun’s flair as a storyteller.
That said, the film falters where superhero movies matter most: emotional connect and a clear purpose for the lead. Chandra spends much of the runtime surviving rather than saving, limiting her impact as a superhero figure. The organ-mafia subplot could have strengthened her arc but remains underexplored.
Verdict
Lokah: Chapter 1 – Chandra is a promising start to Dulquer Salmaan’s production superhero universe. It entertains with solid performances, striking visuals, and genuine humour, though it stops short of being unforgettable due to its weak emotional core. Still, it sets the stage for bigger things to come in the franchise.
Bottomline: A mixed start to a homegrown superhero universe
