As the title implies Lokah Chapter One: Chandra (2025) is the start of yet another cinematic universe, combining superhero trappings with Malayalam folklore and myth. That means that there are mid- and post-credit scenes to set up future entries in the series, as well as an extended cameo form the protagonist of the next planned movie, but that's the future, and I am just looking at the movie in front of me.
The movie features a Bond-style cold open, with Chandra (Kalyani Priyadarshan) stealing an unknown but important item and then fighting an assassin working for an organization called Ishtar. (This is the last time that Ishtar will be mentioned in this movie.) Chandra wins, and after an animated credit sequence showing her adventuring through various places and time periods, she arrives in an unnamed Indian city which looks an awful lot like Bengalaru, where her contact Prakash (Nishanth Sagar) instructs here to lie low and rest for a while. And Chandra does exactly that. She loves in a small apartment, works nights as a waitress, and spends her spare time reading a book called "They Live Among Us," a supposedly comprehensive look at the supernatural world.
And then there are the neighbors. Sunny (Naslen) lives across the street. He's unemployed and spends his time hanging out with his friends Venu (Chandu Salim Kumar) and Naijil (Arun Kurian). The trio seem to live in an entirely different genre than Chandra; "three layabout guys have misadventures" is practicially iots own subgenre in Indian cinema. Sunny catches a glimpse of Chandra and is immediately smitten, but he doesn't get a chance to talk to her until they wind up in the same autorickshaw. Sunny finally manages to start a conversation, and winds up inviting Chandra to Naijil's birthday party.
While Chandra is trying her best to lay low, she can't stand by while well-connected thug Sundari (Viahnu Priya Thoppil) threatens one of her coworkers with acid. She smashes the acid flask in his hand and quickly knocks him unconscious. Unfortunately, Sundari is the younger brother of Gajendran (Shivajith), a local politician who also runs the city's organ trafficking ring. Gajendran hands the case over to Nachiyappa (sandy), a corrupt and deeply misogynistic police officer.
The birthday party goes well (apart from a visit by Nachiyappa, looking for illegal drugs), and Sunny strikes up an odd friendship with Chandra. There is something strange about her, though - she only goes out at night, Sunny's cat is terrified of her, and the sight of blood makes her visibly uncomfortable. Also she doesn't seem to eat and she never drinks . . . wine. After Chandra is ambushed by Sundari and a group of organ traffickers, Sunny tries to rush to the rescue, only to watch in horror as she grows fangs and bites throats, then asks him to help dispose of the bodies.
Chandra finally admits the truth - she's a yaksha, which for the purposes of this movie means she's a big ol' vampire. Actually she's a specific yaksha, Kalliyankattu Neeli, whom some fear as a monster and others worship as a goddess. Sunny is sworn to secrecy, and this might be sounding a bit like Thamma. The tone is pretty different, though - Thamma is a part of the Maddock Horror Comedy Universe, and it shows. Chandra is funny at times, but the overall tone is darker. Chandra defends the oppressed, but she's still dangerous, and Sunny knows that.
And things get worse. Nachiyappa realizes that Chandra is responsible for Sundari's death. There's fight, Nachiyappa is bitten, Sunny is shot, and everybody runs away. Sunny and Chandra are labelled as terrorists, the police get closer and closer, and Chandra's old friend Michael (Tovino Thomas), a Chathan (though the subtitles call him a goblin) has to temporarily save the day with his mastery of illusions before running off to star in the next movie. And Nachiyappa is starting to change . . .
There is a lot going on in Chandra; it feels less like a movie than an entire season of a supernatural action series crammed into two and a half hours. The pacing isn't the only thing that's uneven; Michael's scenes represent a noticeable shift in tone, which goes away at the same time he does. On the other hand, there's a lot to like here. Vampires/yakshas as a metaphor for the underprivileged fighting back is interesting, and Kalyani Priyadarshan is a strong lead. The film looks great - the city has a fantastic neon noir style, and the action scenes are frequent and elaborate, but it's still easy to see what is going on. And I like how different this is from the Maddock movies - there's room in the cinema for different takes on Gothic heroism.
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