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Lokah: Chapter I

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“Lokah Chapter I: Chandra” with Kalyani Priyadarshan in the lead, is the latest superhero movie in this part of the world, and is based on the myths, legends and folklore which had been spreading through the state of Kerala in the distant past and are loved by people of the state. It is the first of a planned cinematic universe. Watch a quicker opinion in the form of video here:

For the detailed written review, please continue below:

Entry of a superhero universe blended with myth and legends :: Among the superhero movies of India, Minnal Murali has been a game changer, and four years later, another film, this time produced by Dulquer Salmaan and directed by Dominic Arun, which brings back the genre to life has released for Onam in the form of Lokah Chapter: 1 Chandra. With we all waiting for Kathanar: The Wild Sorcerer coming back to life with a work of fantasy and folklore, this one comes into the picture, taking the myths and legends into its wings. We had ARM dealing with a folklore depiction, but this one is different, as it establishes a universe. It serves as the origin story for a character that becomes a superhero with a dark side. But it is not the tale of one such a being with superpowers, for it introduces many more. There are characters who make the presence felt here, and we know that we will see them again. We see that a lot of skill is displayed in working with this tale, which would offer more. You know that there is no life in a folklore without the yakshi myth, and that would stay not that distant from the vampire legend from Eastern Europe, through the literary vampire and to the present friendly neighbourhood vampire due to the popular culture effect.

What is the movie about? :: Chandra (Kalyani Priyadarshan) is a mysterious woman who have come to live in the city of Bangalore, and works night shift in a popular café. Her friend and seemingly a mentor Prakash (Nishanth Sagar) keeps asking her to stay low, without letting many people know about her presence, and she makes minimum contact with people. Meanwhile, opposite to her apartment, lives Sunny (Naslen K Gafoor), Venu (Chandu Salimkumar) and Naijil (Arun Kurian), three best friends who have nothing much to do with their lives, and pretend to be still students, even though they are not that much into gaining knowledge or going for a job. While Naijil stays nearby, Sunny and Venu share the same apartment. One day, Sunny comes across this new unfamiliar face living opposite to him. He becomes more and more interested in her, and after he feels that he was saved from an accident as Chandra pushed him away, his infatuation grows.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: But there is something more serious going on in the city, in the darkness of the night. A group of criminals is conducting kidnappings and organ trade, and supporting them is the corrupt and arrogant police officer Inspector Nachiyappa Gowda (Sandy) who believes only in having ultimate power and using them on the weak and subaltern. His path would come across that of Chandra, as she beats up one of the goons associated with these criminal activities for trying to throw acid on her co-worker in the café. At the same time, an elderly man named Daniel (Vijayaraghavan) has been writing about supernatural forces that have lived with humans through the ages, and that most of the tales of folklore are true, and real incidents passed on orally by people who witnessed the same. He believes that many people have superpowers and they would be unleashed in time. With the organ trade mafia running through the city, can there be a superhero to stop it?

The defence of Lokah: Chapter I: Chandra :: Dominic Arun has brought a masterpiece on the big screen, a perfect treat for the Onam holidays. His tale with Santhy Balachandran, the Tharangam star also holding a side of the pen, has taken us to a world of magic with the base so well rooted in the folktales that we are familiar with. The movie thrives on this familiarity and builds on those pillars which might be like some of those ruined but strong pillars that archeologists would find in Rome or Egypt during some excavations – the folktales of Kerala that grows on us. What is a folk-tale without the epic saga of Kadamattathu Kathanar and Kaliyankattu Neeli? And the twist that this movie takes is something that could grow further spin-offs, and for now, to rule the box-office, with contrasting moments that we remember, from the protagonist’s first fight to her human appearance in party, and then the violence that follows in the next night and her final preparation for the impossible – all these are sources of contrasting emotions – then there is the cameo appearance of Tovino Thomas that totally changes the mood to even better. The music by Jakes Bejoy is just impeccable in the case of this movie.

Positives and negatives :: The action here is amazingly good choregraphed by Yannick Ben. The final action sequences inside the café are beyond impressive, and the detailing of that world within that place keeps us enchanted. The humour which might have felt as just a side element often makes the movie a lot more enjoyable even when the dark side is on focus. The cinematography by Nimish Ravi and the editing by Chaman Chakko does a magnificent job in keeping this movie strong, and raising it to a level which would make the whole industry proud. The world detail and the colours are too good to escape our attention, while the flashbacks feel so well placed, and there are those scenes that add on in the end like watching those Marvel movies – they work on excellence to make us interested and not with mass appeal, and that would be the feature that keeps our movies apart. The movie uses its complexities like Minnal Murali used its simplicity to its advantage – nobody becomes a superhero by a lightning, for complexity comes in the darkness and not in the light. Some people might find some mixing to be forced with some moments going on as they would expect, but that is to be decided by nature.

The performers of the soul :: Kalyani Priyadarshan comes up with what might be the greatest of her career, not easy to outdo, and working like a dream. She had this so effective that imagining someone else in this particular role would be very difficult. She shines as a superhero who works on another level as an anti-hero with different shades of her character. There is also an emotional side that comes up, and shows further effectiveness. Naslen K Gafoor adds further emotions and a funny side with Chandu Salimkumar and Arun Kurian nicely contributing to the same. The three keeps the humour alive throughout the run, and this different role of Arun is to be noted, as one would not identify him from that work in Aanandam. Meanwhile, Sandy here makes a perfect antagonist, more menacing that him in Leo, a man to be feared, and someone who keeps bringing more than what meets the eye. Nishanth Sagar and Vijayaraghavan plays two characters who nicely add to the mystery of the overall tale. Then we have Tovino Thomas, Sunny Wayne and Dulquer Salmaan in some big cameo roles, and a few more are also shown, Soubin Shahir, Balu Varghese, Ahaana Krishna, Santhy Balachandran and Vijay Menon.

How it finishes :: As the first installment in a new cinematic universe, this one is a classic beginning. If Minnal Murali was a lighter version of a beginning of a possible large cinematic universe like Marvel, this one here is more like that early version of DC Universe with The Flash, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Man of Steel and others. Unlike the Tovino-starrer of 2021, the danger here is more felt, and while the villain there was a man of circumstances, we see antagonists as personification of pure evil. With people more wronged in further violent ways, redemption here is not attained by saving a village. There is no lightning striking people to make people better here, as the superpowers are attained by sacrifices. With all the action, classic flashbacks, visual spectacles and added humour with memorable character ready to spawn more sequels, this is one movie that truly begins a perfect superhero universe in India. This is something I had wished for when I watched the Indonesian superhero movie Gundala which was followed by many sequels to extend it. This Onam, it is an honour to watch this one, our newly found prestige on the big screen.

Release date: 28th August 2025
Running time: 149 minutes
Directed by: Dominic Arun
Starring: Kalyani Priyadarshan, Naslen K Gafoor, Sandy, Arun Kurian, Chandu Salimkumar, Nishanth Sagar, Vijayaraghavan, Shivajith Padmanabhan, Nithya Shri, Sarath Sabha, Anna Ben, Tovino Thomas (cameo), Sunny Wayne (cameo), Dulquer Salmaan (cameo)

<<< Click here to go to the previous review.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Luca

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What is the movie about? :: As part of a case investigation, Police officer Akbar (Nithin George) comes across a diary which goes through the lives of Luca (Tovino Thomas) and Niharika (Ahaana Krishna). Luca is a highly talented artist who makes the best art works out of scrap materials, but is a short-tempered man who lives close to his small circle of friends. He had lost his father at a very young age, and his mother within a few years after that. He has extreme fear of death and dead bodies. Niharika is a research scholar in industrial chemistry who has come to Cochin from Bangalore as part of her research. Half-Malayali and half-Bengali, she has had a troubled childhood, and had lost her father at a very young age. Akbar is very close to divorcing his wife Fathima (Vinitha Koshy), as he is unable to forget his first love Jannet (Neethu Bala) who left him for reasons unknown to him, and is often adviced by his senior officer Jayaraman (Thalaivasal Vijay).

So, what happens with the events to follow? :: The story goes through the love story of Luca and Niharika as well as the tale of Akbar going through his investigation with the help of his junior officer Aloshy (Anwar Shereef). The friendship and later love of Luca and Niharika develops after latter has a bad opinion about the former’s works, which she changes soon. Later, the two meets again, only to have her move to one of the empty rooms in his house, as she feels safer there. The only two people who are at the home most of the time are those who do the household duties, Martin (Chempil Asokan) and Salomi (Pauly Valsan). Niharika’s uncle Jayaprakash (Srikant Murali) despises her attitude and actions, but as she hates him, things come as no surprise. But there would be a few incidents which would change the lives of Luca and Niharika, but nothing changes regarding love.

The defence of Luca :: There is beauty in every frame of Luca. It is more or less like having a wizard, an overlord of aesthetics at work here, as we see beauty on the big screen, which never gets even close to fading away. We have home which is a work or art by itself, and the presence of rain makes the scenes even more beautiful. At the same time, we see some of those elements which have certain significance in the society, and the role that childhood plays in the lives of people and how it affects them as grown-ups can be seen. The movie is also strong with its emotional moments, especially in the end, as it deals with love in a deeper way rather than what is usually seen on the outside. There are also those moments which are there to stay for now, and we feel that a few things are rather symbolic of something else. The narrative strength of the tale keeps the movie together, and one has to love the way it progresses.

The claws of flaw :: Luca does not become your usual flick about romance. Well, it goes beyond that, and can make Romeo and Juliet feel that they can do better at a few things – it is that kind of love that is deeper that what our common movie watchers can take on. There is also a certain tragedy associated with it, and it stretches a bit with the story. One would also think that the tale could have been better, with a deeper investigation side. The mystery could have unfolded in another way too, and with such visual beauty on the screen, the movie had all it needed to go bigger. There is also that usage of flashback which is a little more than one would want to have. There might have been the feeling that Luca was going to be Charlie, but that didn’t happen, as this one develops its own identity.

The performers of the soul :: Tovino Thomas’ avatar is nothing less than stunning, as we see the character go through the journey of colours. Even though this is not your usual character, he makes his character both lovable and believable, set close to all that defines Kochi Biennale. He is here after three highly appreciated critical and commercial success movies, Virus, Uyare and Lucifer, and this happens to be one fantastic year for him already – we still have half an year to go. Well, the last year was not less grand either, as we had more. Ahaana Krishna hasn’t been there in many movies, and we remember seeing her last in Njandukalude Nattil Oridavela – she has nicely blended in here and has done a fantastic job. She has become the character with ease, and we see her excel in the emotional as well as romantic moments, as she makes a fine combination with Tovino.

Further performers of the soul :: Nithin George who plays the police officer in charge of the investigation comes up with a brilliant performance. He plays the man who lives in his memories, and hopes for answers from the past, and we go on the journey with the character. There is the beauty of serenity in that performance, and the situation that he is in also has us interested. Vinitha Koshy who played the teacher in Aanandam once again has interested in her character. Chempil Asokan and Pauly Valsan makes a perfect pair as the helping hands of the house. Anwar Shereef gives good support as the junior police officer. Jaffer Idukki is there for only a short period of time, and Thalaivasal Vijay only has a little more time with bigger dialogues. Srikant Murali leaves a mark with certain moments. Neethu Bala makes some good impact with one song which she is part of.

How it finishes :: Luca easily gets to the list of the best movies of the year, and it does the same with the love story side rather than getting into some other genre – the investigation and twist are there, but the focus continues to be with the romantic side. With some wonderful music in there, the flick had already caught out attention, and it is one movie which you shouldn’t miss for the beauty on the screen. Along with the same, the socially relevant issues also stays there. As it stands, Luca will continue to stay strong in our theatres. One would wish to watch it again for the emotional content as well as the power of aesthetics, both never backing away from giving the best, just like the actors in there. Have a look at a song from the movie, among the best of the year so far.

Release date: 28th June 2019
Running time: 151 minutes
Directed by: Arun Bose
Starring: Tovino Thomas, Nithin George, Ahaana Krishna, Neethu Bala, Anwar Shereef, Rajesh Sharma, Vinitha Koshy, Sooraj S Kurup, Shalu Rahim, Chempil Asokan, Devi Ajith, Jaffer Idukki, Neena Kurup, Pauly Valsan, Srikant Murali, Thalaivasal Vijay, Raghavan, Hansika Krrishna

<– Click here to go to the previous review.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Njandukalude Nattil Oridavela

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What is the movie about? :: Chacko (Lal) and Sheela (Shanthi Krishna) are a couple in the city who are going through their usual days. The former was working at Kuwait until a few years ago, and the latter is a Chemistry professor at the nearby college. While their youngest child Sarah (Ahaana Krishna) lives with them, their eldest child Mary (Srinda Arhaan) lives with her husband Tony (Siju Wilson) nearby. Their only son Kurien (Nivin Pauly) is working at London, and it has been some time since he last visited India. It is during one of these days that Sheela develops a doubt if she has breast cancer. The talk about the same frightens Chacko, who consults his good friend and dentist Varkichan (Dileesh Pothan). The man refers Chacko to a reputed doctor of a famous hospital in Cochin, Saiju (Saiju Kurup) who has cured many patients suffering from cancer. After consulting him and undergoing the tests, they confirm the same, that she does have stage two breast cancer.

So, what happens with the events to follow? :: It is at the same time that Kurien returns to Cochin for spending a forced break, as Sheela had called and asked him to come as soon as possible without saying any reason. He gets the feeling that she had called him to get him married, as most of the other relatives of his age have been married already, and his siblings also share the same thoughts. The only other reason could be related to their grandfather, but he has been the same for years, and there is absolutely no change regarding his health. Chacko, who is afraid of the disease, struggles to even talk about it to his children – but one day, he manages to let them know the truth after a series of misunderstandings. Everyone in the family is shocked and sad, and are cent percent confused about what to do next. The family which had things going straight without any intermissions, gets a lot of thinking to do after that revelation.

And what else is to follow in the adventure in the land of crabs? :: Kurien’s only relief is his long lost friend Subbu (Krishna Shankar) whom he meets after a long time. Sheela tells her family to support her happily, but everyone remains sad and depressed. They decide to get a home nurse to look after the grandfather as Sheela is not well. Their search for one ends with Yesudas (Sharafudheen) whose conditions are agreed upon. Meanwhile, while taking his mother to one of the chemotherapy sessions, Kurien meets a girl from Bangalore named Raichel (Aishwarya Lekshmi) who had arrived in the hospital with her parents, as her father also had cancer. They become good friends, and Kurien feels very much attracted to her. Meanwhile, Sarah is also in love. Chacko keeps struggling to make himself adjust to the understanding and fear of his wife’s disease. In this newly confused world, the battle between chemo and the crab goes on.

The defence of Njandukalude Nattil Oridavela :: There are two sides to Njandukalude Nattil Oridavela – a humorous one and the emotional one. The humour is there in the movie all the way – the light-hearted side of this flick will make it a much loved title for this Onam season for the families. The emotional side is there, as the family is shaken by the unexpected trouble, and we see how they overcome the same, but never missing out on bringing a little comedy here and there. The balance which has been maintained here without letting the flick stumble into some kind of melodrama, is a remarkable achievement. The use of the right cast also makes sure that things work better. The movie leaves us with the message that it is the unexpected twist in life that makes us stronger, and it is the difficulties that makes us capable of more – positivity added there when the trap of hopelessness is present. Along with the same, it is once again re-iterated that family is that important, and it would come over almost all the other things in life; something that most of the new generation would need to realize at some point.

The claws of flaw :: The movie does take the safe route rather than trying anything special or unexpected. It might be rather too simple for the liking of some people, unlike Adam Joan, the other good movie of the Onam-Eid season which makes sure that it is more like the exact opposite of this movie – like a mirror image which reverses things. Well, we have interesting movies at both sides of the mirror, and it is a positive sign for the Malayalam movie industry. Yet, one wonders why it was so necessary to add a romantic side to this movie which adds nothing more than a little bit of cuteness along with a song – without the same, this one would have finished in less than two hours, and Njandukalude Nattil Oridavela would have had no moment of deviation from its beautiful family stuff. In a world when youth wishes for quick movies, the movie’s dilatoriness will trouble more than one person, but if you relate to the characters well enough, such a problem can vanish into thin air. There could also be people who want some parts of this movie to be more serious; well could have been even more touching for sure.

Performers of the soul :: Nivin Pauly goes through his role comfortably, as the lazy, Lays eating, London-er with more Keralite thoughts than anything else. There is also a little bit of romantic side for him here, but it is once again the family stuff that he gets to handle, and does very well. When the movie is cute, and the hero is Nivin Pauly, I wonder what can stop the family from rushing into the theatres. It has been a long time since we saw Shanthi Krishna, and it is good to see her back, and she remains the strong point of this movie from the beginning to the end. Lal also joins in and makes this role exactly at the right place. Ahaana Krishna’s second role also seems to be a good choice, as she seems to be doing what Aima Rosmy Sebastian has been doing – she has more to do than the heroine, Aishwarya Lekshmi who has a memorable presence, but gets less time on screen. The Aluvaite Premam team has kind of a get together with Siju Wilson, Krishna Shankar and Sharafudheen there, and strengthens the funny side, and so does Srinda.

How it finishes :: You will find Njandukalude Nattil Oridavela from the debutante director Althaf Salim to be a treat for the whole family, even without trying anything huge. It stays close to life and closer to the heart with those simple moments of life, and simpler instances of comedy being nicely woven into the plot. One has to wonder how well Nivin Pauly has been choosing his movies – from those dual releases of Ivide and Premam, it has been such a fantastic journey. The last three movies, Action Hero Biju, Jacobinte Swargarajyam and Sakhavu have been different in core, and all three of them are worth the appreciation. Njandukalude Nattil Oridavela continues that sequences of interesting movies. With the Tamil movie Richie supposed to come up soon, our movie here will raise hope to an even higher level. As of now, there is no void as it has been at certain points of time, and we have enough to enjoy this vacation season. I wish all of my readers a Happy Eid, as well as a Happy Onam in advance! 🙂

PS: Relate the crab to cancer, and there is more than one meaning which you can take from “the land of crabs” in the title.

Release date: 1st September 2017
Running time: 131 minutes
Directed by: Althaf Salim
Starring: Nivin Pauly, Lal, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Ahaana Krishna, Shanthi Krishna, Siju Wilson, Srinda Arhaan, Krishna Shankar, Sharafudheen, Dileesh Pothan, Saiju Kurup, Sidhartha Siva

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.