Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra is a 2025 Indian Malayalam-language fantasy superhero film written and directed by Dominic Arun and produced by Dulquer Salmaan for Wayfarer Films. It stars Kalyani Priyadarshan (in the title role) and Naslen, with Sandy, Chandu Salim Kumar and Arun Kurian in other significant roles and a cameo from Tovino Thomas and a vocal of Mammooty . In the film, Chandra, a mysterious woman, comes to Bengaluru to fight the evil. Her life changes after she meets young Sunny and his friends, and gets entangled with a corrupt cop Nachiyappa and an organ-trafficking ring associated with him.
Pre-production began on 12 September 2024, with principal photography commencing under the working title Production No: 7, and was completed by 30 January 2025, lasting 94 days. The title was unveiled on 8 June 2025. Nimish Ravi, Chaman Chakko, and Jakes Bejoy formed the technical crew as the cinematographer, editor and music director respectively. Actress Santhy Balachandran is credited for additional screenplay.
Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra was released theatrically on 28 August 2025. Upon its release, the film received widespread critical acclaim. The film was a box office success, becoming the highest-grossing Malayalam film ever, surpassing Empuraan (2025), and the first Malayalam film to cross the ₹300 crore mark globally. It was among the highest-grossing Indian films of 2025, as well as one of the highest-grossing female-led Indian films of all-time.
Contents
Plot
In a war-torn city, Chandra fights a female assassin sent by Ishtar and escapes from a ruined building.
In the present, Chandra is summoned from Sweden to Bangalore (Bengaluru) by Prakash and learns that the summons came from Moothon ("the Elder"). She obtains a fake passport & learns about They Live Among Us, a book credited to the pen name Joseph Dominic that describes detailed chronicles of supernatural beings, similar to the legendary Aithihyamala.
In Bangalore, Chandra lives quietly, working night shifts and is visiting the Holy Grail Café, owned by her ally Johny. Across the street lives Sunny and his friends Venu, a MBBS dropout student and Naijil. Sunny develops feelings for Chandra, though she remains distant.
Her powers are revealed when she intervenes to protect a co-worker from Sundar, a member of an organ trafficking ring led by crime boss/politician Gajendran and supported by Inspector Nachiyappa, a corrupt cop. Nachiyappa becomes suspicious of Chandra after learning that she had attacked Sundar violently. Chandra also saves Sunny from an accident and is subsequently invited to Naijil's birthday party. Their cat is scared of her presence and Chandra is visibly uncomfortable with the sight of blood.
Sunny begins to suspect her after seeing Kumar, a known criminal associate, regularly deliver sealed containers to her. His doubts increase when Naijil briefly disappears (though it is later explained he was detained by police). Chandra is later abducted by Sundar and his men, but she manages to kill them and escape. Sunny, attempting to rescue her, witnesses her powers. She confirms to him that she is a Yakshi.
Somewhere in the city, Verghese Kurien, narrates to his granddaughter the legend of Kalliyankattu Neeli: a tribal girl whose village was destroyed by a king enforcing caste segregation and after being bitten by a bat, developed supernatural abilities. After the king's men killed her parents, she killed them in revenge and became a guardian figure and a nightmare for wrongdoers. She was later recruited by legendary priest/sorcerer Kadamattathu Kathanar to serve Moothon. Verghese is revealed to be Joseph Dominic, and Chandra is revealed to be Neeli, now immortal.
Cast
The film features several other cameo appearances throughout, including Anna Ben as Anu, Sunny's ex-girlfriend, and Abraham Vadakkan as Scaria, Anu's boyfriend. Vishak Nair appears as a man at the pub, and Soubin Shahir, Santhy Balachandran, Ahaana Krishna, Balu Varghese, and Vijay Menon appear in cameo roles. An arm is shown for Moothon with Mammootty's voice-over.
Production
Lokah Chapter: 1 Chandra is the seventh production venture of Dulquer Salmaan's Wayfarer Films. It is intended as the beginning of a full-fledged Malayalam superhero cinematic universe titled Lokah, a project being mounted on a large scale with a possibility of multiple chapters. Dulquer Salmaan aims to build an indigenous cinematic universe rooted in local culture, folklore, and mythology. Kalyani Priyadarshan and Naslen joined as the main cast. Kalyani had practiced martial arts for the film.
The film is written and directed by Dominic Arun, known for Tharangam (2017). Dominic Arun revealed that the idea for the film was discussed as early as 2020 and developed organically, emphasizing that creating a female superhero was not a deliberate attempt to break the mold. Santhy Balachandran has contributed to the additional screenplay and dramaturgy. The technical crew includes Nimish Ravi as the cinematographer, Chaman Chakko as the editor, Jakes Bejoy for music, Banglan as the production designer, and Yannick Ben handling action choreography. Melwy J. handled the costume design, collaborating with Archana Akhil Rao for specific sequences, including Kalyani Priyadarshan's looks. Jom Varghese and Bibin Perumballi served as executive producers.
The film's pre-production began on 12 September 2024, and the principal photography commenced with a muhurat pooja ceremony on the same day under the working title Production No: 7, marking Priyadarshan's first film with Naslen and her second film with Dulquer Salmaan's production company. Filming wrapped by 30 January 2025. Shooting lasted for 94 days. The film's title, Lokah – Chapter One: Chandra, was unveiled on 8 June 2025, with the cast including Chandu Salimkumar, Arun Kurian, Vijayaraghavan, Raghunath Paleri, Sarath Sabha, Nithya Shri, and Nishanth Sagar.
Music
The film score and soundtrack were composed by Jakes Bejoy with an additional song composed by Jay Unnithan. The film's promo song, titled "Thani Lokah Murakkaari", sung by Jyoti Nooran of the Nooran Sisters in her Malayalam debut. The track, composed by Jakes Bejoy with rap portions by Reble, carries lyrics penned by writer-filmmaker Muhsin Parari, credited under his pseudonym "Mu.Ri".
Release
Theatrical
Lokah was released theatrically in India on 28 August 2025. It was dubbed and released in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil and Kannada. Sithara Entertainments distributed the film in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. AGS Entertainment distributed the film in Tamil Nadu, while Lighter Buddha Films distributed the film in Karnataka. Pen Studios acquired the distribution under Pen Marudhar Entertainment, in North India. Suraya Filem acquired the distribution for Malaysia.
Home media
The film began streaming on JioHotstar from 31 October 2025 in Malayalam and dubbed versions of Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali and Marathi languages.
Reception
Box office
Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra opened to ₹2.71 crore in Kerala and ₹6.66 crore worldwide. The film went on to collect ₹65.50 crore in its first four-day weekend run worldwide. Within seven days of release, the film's worldwide gross crossed ₹100 crore. In 9 days, the film grossed ₹145 crore. In 12 days the film had grossed ₹198 crore, and crossed ₹200 crore on its 13th day. In 19 days, the film crossed ₹250 crore at the worldwide box office.
The film has grossed over ₹300 crore globally, making it the highest grossing Malayalam film of all time, highest-grossing film in Kerala of all time (until it was surpassed by Vaazha II: Biopic of a Billion Bros in April 2026), highest-grossing Malayalam film in India, second highest-grossing Malayalam film overseas, one of the highest-grossing Indian superhero films and one of the highest-grossing Indian films featuring a female lead. The film is also the eighth highest grossing Indian film of all time in the Gulf Countries and second highest grossing Malayalam film in the Gulf Countries. In Malaysia, the film opened at tenth place at Malaysian Box office.
Critical response
Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra received generally positive reviews from critics.
Anandu Suresh of The Indian Express gave 4/5 stars, noting that "What makes the Kalyani Priyadarshan and Naslen-starrer far better than other massive-budget fantasy spectacles is that its magnificence extends beyond visual brilliance to include impeccable writing". Vivek Santhosh of The New Indian Express gave the film 3.5/5 stars, terming it "A bold, imperfect but unforgettable step into Malayalam cinema's first mythic universe, where Kalyani Priyadarshan's Chandra embodies folklore, fire, and neon spectacle in a world still finding its full shape". Manjusha Radhakrishnan of Gulf News rated 4/5 and wrote, "Superhero saga done right blending Indian folklore with Hollywood swagger."
Roopa Radhakrishnan of The Times of India gave the film 3.5/5 stars and noted that while Lokah Chapter: 1 Chandra has its flaws, such as a slow start, overstretched feeling of cameos, and some jokes that don't land, its positives outweigh the negatives. Swathi P. Ajith of Onmanorama praised Lokah Chapter: 1 Chandra for its "bold" visual design and "immersive" world-building, noting its unique blend of Kerala folklore and the modern-day superhero genre. Athira M of The Hindu noted that Lokah Chapter: 1 Chandra handles the superhero genre with expertise, praising its "catchy" cinematic quality, visual effects, production design, and background score. The review highlighted Kalyani Priyadarshan's performance as "the first female superhero of Malayalam cinema".
Controversy
Some dialogues by the character Inspector Nachiyappa Gowda received outrage for negatively portraying the residents of Bengaluru. The dialogue referred to Bengaluru as "the hub of parties and drugs" and equating women in the city to prostitutes. Later the production house Wayfarer Films issued an open apology for hurting the sentiments of the people. It was also clarified that the story was not set in Bengaluru, but rather a fictional city in India, and that the filming took place in Bengaluru due to the right conditions for script.
Sequel
On 27 September 2025, the film's sequel was officially announced, titled Lokah Chapter 2, starring Tovino Thomas in the lead, reprising his roles from the first film. A special promotional video featuring Dulquer Salmaan and Thomas was released by Wayfarer Films, and Salmaan is expected to reprise his role as well.