It’s not often that you walk into one of the lesser-known cinema halls in Noida on a random weekend and find every single seat taken. Yet, that’s exactly what happened with Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra. The crowd was buzzing, the atmosphere electric, and the film, well, it lingered long after the end credits rolled. It's been more than 10 days, and the memory of Lokah still feels fresh, which is a rare feat for any movie in today's new and re-releases. What started as a quiet release with minimal fanfare has now become a cultural moment. With a fresh story - India’s first female superhero, the Malayalam film has stormed the box office, collecting over Rs 200 crore in just a few weeks. It’s officially the Onam winner of 2025, leaving cinephiles, critics, and even trade experts talking about how a relatively modest production managed to do what big-budget giants like Kalki 2898 AD (starring Prabhas, Deepika Padukone, Amitabh Bachchan) and Brahmastra: Part One - Shiva (starring Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt) perhaps missed.
The superhero we didn’t see coming
At the centre of it all is Lokah’s protagonist, Chandra, played by Kalyani Priyadarshan. Unlike the cape-wearing heroes from Hollywood or the grand, divine avatars from recent Indian visions, Chandra feels rooted in our world. She’s tough, strong, and unapologetically heroic, not because a priest or patriarch declares it so, but because her mother’s final words give her the moral compass to channel her powers for good. That one shift in narrative, showing a woman’s advice as the starting point for heroism, transforms the entire narrative.
Interestingly, the character has its origins in Kerala’s folklore, specifically from Aithihyamala. The original tale describes Neeli as a vengeful spirit subdued by a male priest. But writer-director Dominic Arun and co-writer Santhy Balachandran turn this around. Malayalam actress and screenwriter Santhy said at an event that she was insistent that Neeli’s transformation should not be at the hands of a patriarchal figure. Instead, her strength and sense of justice had to come from within and be nurtured by another woman: her mother. The result? A superhero origin story that feels fresh and deeply connected to cultural roots.
This decision to ground the superhero tale in Kerala’s folklore rather than stringing together mythological Easter eggs is perhaps the masterstroke that sets Lokah apart. Where Brahmastra: Part 1 - Shiva and Kalki 2898 AD leaned heavily on spectacle and divine myth-making, Lokah takes a gentler but sharper route: bringing fantasy into familiar cultural and socio-political threads. The film doesn’t try to sell divinity as a shortcut to power. Instead, it explores how legends, when reimagined through a contemporary lens, can give rise to stories that are both entertaining and meaningful. Santhy’s voice is central to this reinvention. By giving Chandra agency, she redefines how Indian cinema can portray women in superhero narratives. And the audience is responding in kind, especially young viewers who now have a homegrown she-hero to look up to.
Experts opine on how Lokah cracked the superhero film code
Trade analyst and film exhibitor Akkshay Rathie points out that it is, however, not fair to directly compare Lokah with the massive canvases of Kalki and Brahmastra. In a chat with The Economic Times, he said, “While all three films share a mythological undertone, the approach is what sets them apart. Brahmastra and Kalki were all about spectacle and scale, whereas Lokah focused on storytelling and nuances. And of course, having one of the very few female superheroes in Indian cinema brought in novelty and suspense. That’s what makes it stand out.”
According to film tracker and trade expert Ramesh Bala, the strength of Lokah lies in its simplicity. “It’s not a complicated movie with multiple characters and sprawling timelines,” he says. “It unfolds in the real world, present-day Bengaluru, with everyday locations like coffee shops and auto rides forming the backdrop. That relatability helped it connect with audiences. People didn’t expect a superhero film to be so rooted in reality, and that surprise element worked in its favour.”
Of course, none of this would work without strong craft. Director Dominic Arun teams up with cinematographer Nimish Ravi and editor Chaman Chakko to create a visual language that’s as thoughtful as it is dynamic. The film avoids a uniform style, instead tailoring rhythm, pacing, and lighting to suit each moment. The result is a film that looks rich without drowning in visual excess.
Also, we can't end the article without talking about the music director of the film, Jakes Bejoy. He shared on social media that the composer literally created a new tribal language, Mozhika (remember the film's teaser theme), for the movie's music in collaboration with lyricist B.K. Harinarayanan.
Besides this, even the humour, often a weak link in superhero dramas, works beautifully here. Rather than relying on slapstick, the film finds humour in the natural conversations and camaraderie between characters like Sunny, Venu, and Naijil (played by Naseln, Chandu Salim Kumar, and Arun Kurian). Also, a huge shout out to Sandy, who played the villainous role in the film - Inspector Nachiyappa Gowda.
Lokah flips that script of decades of Indian superhero films, proving that local folklore, feminist narratives, and clever writing can give birth to something entirely original. Its success at the box office isn’t just about numbers; it’s about changing perceptions.
Kalyani Priyadarshan’s Chandra isn’t the damsel in distress. She’s the saviour, the fighter, the woman who does the rescuing. And in her flashback sequences, 11-year-old Durga C. Vinod delivers a performance that’s nothing short of mesmerising, making Neeli’s journey even more compelling.
By anchoring itself in the here and now while still drawing from the mythical past, Lokah achieves a rare feat: a superhero film that feels both local and global. It doesn’t aspire to be the next Marvel or DC; it builds its own universe, one that audiences are eager to revisit in the sequels to come.
So, did Lokah crack the code?
Maybe the answer lies in the way audiences are reacting. While Kalki 2898 AD and Brahmastra: Part 1 - Shiva dazzled with VFX but left many viewers underwhelmed, the Dulquer Salmaan-produced film Lokah managed to combine spectacle with soul. Its simplicity, relatability, and rooted storytelling became its superpowers.
As one exited the theatre after a packed show in Noida, the buzz was undeniable. Kids were already imitating Chandra’s moves, groups of college students were debating her choices, and parents were delighted that their daughters had found a new kind of role model.
The superhero we didn’t see coming
At the centre of it all is Lokah’s protagonist, Chandra, played by Kalyani Priyadarshan. Unlike the cape-wearing heroes from Hollywood or the grand, divine avatars from recent Indian visions, Chandra feels rooted in our world. She’s tough, strong, and unapologetically heroic, not because a priest or patriarch declares it so, but because her mother’s final words give her the moral compass to channel her powers for good. That one shift in narrative, showing a woman’s advice as the starting point for heroism, transforms the entire narrative.
Interestingly, the character has its origins in Kerala’s folklore, specifically from Aithihyamala. The original tale describes Neeli as a vengeful spirit subdued by a male priest. But writer-director Dominic Arun and co-writer Santhy Balachandran turn this around. Malayalam actress and screenwriter Santhy said at an event that she was insistent that Neeli’s transformation should not be at the hands of a patriarchal figure. Instead, her strength and sense of justice had to come from within and be nurtured by another woman: her mother. The result? A superhero origin story that feels fresh and deeply connected to cultural roots.
This decision to ground the superhero tale in Kerala’s folklore rather than stringing together mythological Easter eggs is perhaps the masterstroke that sets Lokah apart. Where Brahmastra: Part 1 - Shiva and Kalki 2898 AD leaned heavily on spectacle and divine myth-making, Lokah takes a gentler but sharper route: bringing fantasy into familiar cultural and socio-political threads. The film doesn’t try to sell divinity as a shortcut to power. Instead, it explores how legends, when reimagined through a contemporary lens, can give rise to stories that are both entertaining and meaningful. Santhy’s voice is central to this reinvention. By giving Chandra agency, she redefines how Indian cinema can portray women in superhero narratives. And the audience is responding in kind, especially young viewers who now have a homegrown she-hero to look up to.
Experts opine on how Lokah cracked the superhero film code
Trade analyst and film exhibitor Akkshay Rathie points out that it is, however, not fair to directly compare Lokah with the massive canvases of Kalki and Brahmastra. In a chat with The Economic Times, he said, “While all three films share a mythological undertone, the approach is what sets them apart. Brahmastra and Kalki were all about spectacle and scale, whereas Lokah focused on storytelling and nuances. And of course, having one of the very few female superheroes in Indian cinema brought in novelty and suspense. That’s what makes it stand out.”
According to film tracker and trade expert Ramesh Bala, the strength of Lokah lies in its simplicity. “It’s not a complicated movie with multiple characters and sprawling timelines,” he says. “It unfolds in the real world, present-day Bengaluru, with everyday locations like coffee shops and auto rides forming the backdrop. That relatability helped it connect with audiences. People didn’t expect a superhero film to be so rooted in reality, and that surprise element worked in its favour.”
Of course, none of this would work without strong craft. Director Dominic Arun teams up with cinematographer Nimish Ravi and editor Chaman Chakko to create a visual language that’s as thoughtful as it is dynamic. The film avoids a uniform style, instead tailoring rhythm, pacing, and lighting to suit each moment. The result is a film that looks rich without drowning in visual excess.
Also, we can't end the article without talking about the music director of the film, Jakes Bejoy. He shared on social media that the composer literally created a new tribal language, Mozhika (remember the film's teaser theme), for the movie's music in collaboration with lyricist B.K. Harinarayanan.
Besides this, even the humour, often a weak link in superhero dramas, works beautifully here. Rather than relying on slapstick, the film finds humour in the natural conversations and camaraderie between characters like Sunny, Venu, and Naijil (played by Naseln, Chandu Salim Kumar, and Arun Kurian). Also, a huge shout out to Sandy, who played the villainous role in the film - Inspector Nachiyappa Gowda.
Lokah flips that script of decades of Indian superhero films, proving that local folklore, feminist narratives, and clever writing can give birth to something entirely original. Its success at the box office isn’t just about numbers; it’s about changing perceptions.
Kalyani Priyadarshan’s Chandra isn’t the damsel in distress. She’s the saviour, the fighter, the woman who does the rescuing. And in her flashback sequences, 11-year-old Durga C. Vinod delivers a performance that’s nothing short of mesmerising, making Neeli’s journey even more compelling.
By anchoring itself in the here and now while still drawing from the mythical past, Lokah achieves a rare feat: a superhero film that feels both local and global. It doesn’t aspire to be the next Marvel or DC; it builds its own universe, one that audiences are eager to revisit in the sequels to come.
So, did Lokah crack the code?
Maybe the answer lies in the way audiences are reacting. While Kalki 2898 AD and Brahmastra: Part 1 - Shiva dazzled with VFX but left many viewers underwhelmed, the Dulquer Salmaan-produced film Lokah managed to combine spectacle with soul. Its simplicity, relatability, and rooted storytelling became its superpowers.
As one exited the theatre after a packed show in Noida, the buzz was undeniable. Kids were already imitating Chandra’s moves, groups of college students were debating her choices, and parents were delighted that their daughters had found a new kind of role model.
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