Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra is a 2025 Malayalam superhero film that hit screens on 28 August 2025. It stars Kalyani Priyadarshan in the lead role, and it mixes old folk tales with a modern hero tale, and the film became a huge hit within days of release, becoming the first Malayalam film to earn more than ₹300 crore across the world.
The film is in Malayalam, but it was also dubbed in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Hindi for a wider audience. It now streams on JioHotstar, so fans can watch it at home with ease, while this guide on MoviesDa covers its story, cast, music, box office, and verdict, and it is a must-read for fans of South Indian films.
The Story
Chandra is a young woman with a strange past who comes to Bengaluru from Sweden. A man named Prakash calls her there, and he works for Moothon, the Elder, who leads a secret group, and in Bengaluru, Chandra lives a quiet life and works night shifts at a café, while she keeps to herself and avoids close ties.
Across the street live Sunny and his two friends, Venu and Naijil, and Sunny soon likes Chandra a lot, but Chandra stays distant, since she hides a big secret from all those around her.
Trouble starts when Chandra saves a co-worker from Sundar, who is part of an organ trade gang led by Gajendran.
A bad cop named Nachiyappa helps the gang, and he starts to doubt Chandra after he sees how she fought Sundar, and soon Sunny learns the truth that Chandra is not a normal woman, because she is Neeli, a being from old folk tales. Her tale goes back many years, and she has powers that most people do not have. She also has weak spots, since sunlight burns her skin and her heart is her weak point.
The film then turns into a fight for good, as Chandra must face the gang and the bad cop. She must also guard Sunny and his friends from harm at each step. The tale sets up a much bigger world, and it ends with hints of a next part, and a second film has been confirmed by the makers, which has raised hopes among fans.
Cast and Performances
Kalyani Priyadarshan plays Chandra, and she is the heart of the film from start to end. She trained in martial arts for the role, and her work won praise from critics and fans alike, while Sayanora Philip dubbed her voice in the film and Durga C. Vinod played young Neeli in flashback scenes.
Naslen plays Sunny, who is Chandra’s neighbour and friend in Bengaluru. He also plays Michael Joseph in a photo from 1905, and his warm and fun act suits the role well, sharing a sweet bond with Kalyani on screen.
Sandy plays Inspector Nachiyappa Gowda, the bad cop in the tale, who is cruel and proud, which adds fear and force to the film. Chandu Salim Kumar plays Venu, while Arun Kurian plays Naijil, and the two play Sunny’s friends. They add fun, warmth, and light moments to the tale at the right times.
Vijayaraghavan plays Dr. Varghese Kurian, who is also the writer Joseph Dominic in the tale. Raghunath Paleri plays Tom Isaac, while Nishanth Sagar plays Prakash, the man who calls Chandra to Bengaluru. The film has strong cameos too, as Sunny Wayne plays Kadamattathu Kathanar, while Tovino Thomas plays twin brothers, Michael and Maathan, and Dulquer Salmaan plays Charlie, an Odiyan. Mammootty gives voice to Moothon, the Elder, who leads the secret group.
Direction, Music and Technical Work
Dominic Arun wrote and directed the film, and he made Tharangam in 2017 before this tale. He first talked of this idea in 2020, and he built the tale from Kerala folk tales and myths. He did not set out to make a “female hero” film just to be new, since the tale grew on its own from its folk roots.
Dulquer Salmaan produced the film for Wayfarer Films, and it is the firm’s seventh film in all. The plan is a full Lokah world with more parts, and the world is rooted in local tales and myths from Kerala, and Dulquer aims to build a home-grown hero world that draws on local lore, not just on Western hero tales.
Nimish Ravi shot the film, while Chaman Chakko cut it with skill. Jakes Bejoy made the score and songs, while one song was made by Jay Unnithan. The promo song “Thani Lokah Murakkaari” is sung by Jyoti Nooran, and it was her first song in Malayalam, with Reble rapping in it and Muhsin Parari writing the words for the track.
The shoot took 94 days in all, and work began on 12 September 2024. The shoot used the code name Production No: 7, and it ended on 30 January 2025. The title came out on 8 June 2025, and fans gave it a warm response at once.
Yannick Ben led the action work, while Banglan designed the sets for the film. Melwy J. made the costumes for the cast, and the look of the film is rich and bold. The night scenes in Bengaluru look sharp and moody on screen, which suits the dark mood of the tale.
Box Office and Verdict
The film cost about ₹30–40 crore to make, which is a modest sum for a hero film of this scale. It opened with ₹2.71 crore in Kerala, and on day one it earned ₹6.66 crore across the world. In its first four-day weekend, it earned ₹65.50 crore across the world, which was a strong start.
In seven days, it crossed ₹100 crore across the world, and on day 13 it crossed ₹200 crore at the box office. In 19 days, it crossed ₹250 crore, and in the end it earned more than ₹300 crore across the world. Trade tracker Sacnilk put the India net total at ₹157.04 crore, and the film drew crowds for weeks after release.
Critics liked the film in general, and The Indian Express gave it 4 out of 5 stars for its fresh take. Fans praised the lead act, the look, and the action, which gave the film strong word of mouth. Some lines by Nachiyappa drew flak for how they showed Bengaluru, and Wayfarer Films said sorry for the hurt caused. The makers said the tale is set in a fictional city, not Bengaluru, which closed the row.
The verdict is clear, since Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra is a rare female-led hero film from India that broke records. It mixed folk tales, action, and heart in one tale, and it set up a new world for more films to come. Fans of hero tales and folk myths should watch it, and you can read more movie stories here.
Where to Watch It Legally
The film streams on JioHotstar from 31 October 2025, and you can watch it in Malayalam on the app. You can also watch dubbed versions in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali, and Marathi, which makes it easy for fans across India.
Do not use pirate sites to watch it, since that hurts the makers and the next part. Watch it on the official app only, so the makers get full support for the next part of the tale.
Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra shows that a Malayalam film can lead the box office with a woman hero at its core. Its mix of folk tales, action, and heart won fans across India, and with a second part confirmed, the Lokah world has just begun. For more on this film, see its Wikipedia page. Fans of Tamil action tales can also read our post on Valimai Unmasked.
