A review of Lokah -Kerala’s superhero(ine) rising from folklore’s shadows
Have you heard of the term ‘Muthassi Kadhakal’ (grandma stories)? If you are a non-Malayali person, it's unlikely you've heard of such a term, but if you are a Malayali, it's more than just a term, as it's a part of your childhood. A memory of a time that will transport you to the typical Kerala night or evening, aka Sandhya Neram, the time when the elders, Muthassi, a.k.a. grandmothers, use it for their usual storytelling. I had this privilege when I was a child, and that time, my Vappumma (Father’s mother) used to tell the legends and mythical stories of Yakshis and Chathanmar (Ghosts and Goblins) along with the typical muslim household moral stories that involve Shaytaan and Jinns. I used to blindly believe these legends and myths, not just because of the storytelling style of my Vappumma, but I mean, who doesn't like myths and legends, right? And every time these story sessions happen, it has always been disrupted by the usual mother interventions, because she knows the further it goes, the deeper we will stay awake, and the continuity in feeling sick.
And the irony is that that inner child in me never would have thought that I would witness a time in my life where I could see some of the legendary stories would be turned out to be movies. I believe it would be the same for many like me who had the privilege to attend ‘Sandhya Nerathe Muthassi Kadhakal’. Now you would be thinking, why am I mentioning Muthassi Kadhakal here, right? That too under the Lokah: Chapter One Chandra review piece? Of course, there is a relation. But if you want to understand this relation, you should watch the movie - otherwise you are missing the best cinema experience in the history of Mollywood - because this is a story of a superhero from our own God’s own country, who, the history, has been portrayed as the villain of the story.
Is there anyone who doesn't like Superhero movies? Or anyone who hasn't played or imagined a world where you could picture a friendly neighbourhood superhero’s stroll in India, Kerala, or a superhero speaking Malayalam? Have you ever imagined a time like this would come in the near future? For me, yes, like a 50-50, because Basil Joseph’s Minnal Murali (2021) gave me hope that a time when the dawn of superhero movies touching the Malayalam film industry is near. Dominic Arun and Santhy’s Lokah: Chapter One Chandra is not a Minnal Murali; Chandra is not an accidental superhero. Her story was written years before we were born, centuries before even Muthassi Kadhakal became a part of our daily life, but not before the time of discrimination and injustice.
Lokah: Chapter One follows the story of Chandra, played by Kalyani Priyadarshan, who was fighting against enemies in a foreign land comes back to India after her team and the Leader/Elder require her presence for an upcoming mission. Chandra’s arrival in Bangalore was welcomed with various challenges, including fighting against enemies within herself. In between, she made a few new friends, Sunny, Venu, and Naijil, played by Naslen, Chandu, and Arun. The first half of the movie discusses Chandra and her urge to confine her powers within herself, since the leader of the group and Prakashan, the right hand of the leader, instructed her to stay low. But only a few minutes before the interval, the spectators get a glimpse of what powers that Chandra has been hiding for all this time.
Chandra’s fight against injustice, along with Vijayaraghavan’s interesting way of storytelling, aka Sandhya Nerathe Muthassi Kadha, sets the base of what the movie is actually about. In a nutshell, the Muthassi Kadha explains the origin of Chandra’s power, and what we all have perceived as Muthassi Kadha is actually real, and those we were afraid of are actually living among us. Chandra uses her power to fight against these challenges that root back to the hidden shadows of patriarchy and superiority complex in a progressive society that views women still as inferior and other. Her determination to stand with justice and right has led to the addition of enemies, who are nothing but a reflection of her childhood, where she fought against those who questioned her and her community’s existence and right.
When Vijayaraghavan’s granddaughter questions the credibility of the Muthassi Kadha by pointing out that since they are nothing but helping those facing injustice and delivering justice, that makes them superheroes, right? To which Vijayaraghavan responds very hesitantly. That reminds me of the scenes of conversation from Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight (2008) between Gary Oldman’s character and his child, when the child asks, ‘Why is he (Batman) running, Dad? And he didn't do anything wrong,’ he simply says, ‘he (Batman) is the hero Gotham deserves but not the one we needed right now, so we will hunt him. The origin of Chandra and Batman has quite a similarities, and same as like other superheroes, both superheroes have always been chased and hunted down, yet they continue to fight and stand on the right side of the story, even though history perceives them on the wrong side. While the second half is a pure feast for the spectators, with plenty of cameos and a one-word voice-over that would roar the entire theatre. The second half of Lokah, therefore, compensated for the so-called haunting nightmare of every cinephile's ‘unsatisfying second half syndrome,’ and it only happened all thanks to the well-placed cameos and with perfect casting.
After watching Lokah, I could say that Minnal Murali walked so that Lokah could run successfully. It opened our minds and asked the same question: Don't you want a Malayali superhero? But unlike Minnal Murali and the cliche storyline of a superhero movie, here the main superhero is not a man, but rather a woman. Kalyani Priyadarshan’s Chandra and the victory of the movie shattered the masculine dream of Superheroes are always and have been for men. The genre itself is rooted in the very masculine way where the women characters are either sidelined or under-represented, except for a few. The storyline healed a part of mine, because as a person who likes and is fascinated by the world of Superhero movies, it's impossible to see a female superhero, even though you say our industry is progressive. I would never imagine that men would clap for a female superhero, except in the case of Wonder Woman or Wanda Vision.
And I think it's better not to go further for the benefit of the spectators' theatre experience, because the Malayali audience deserves a spectacular theatre watch that is layered with beautiful shots, Music, Editing, Color grading, and Production Design, thanks to the brilliant cooperation between Nimish Ravi, Jakes Bejoy, Chaman Chakko, Yashika Routray, and Banglan. And the animation and VFX? Finest to the core, special mention to Eunoians, Little Hippo Studios, and Pictorial FX. It's no wonder people might compare the movie’s quality with those from Hollywood, like Blade Runner 2049 (2017), Avengers (especially Scarlett Witch/Wanda Vision - 2015 - present), Moonknight (2022), X-Men (2000 - present), and Dune (2021).
The credits for this are due to the director and writers of the movie, Dominic Arun and Santhy. Indeed, it would be quite challenging to adapt and make movies based on folklore, and not just quite, but the toughest one. Therefore, Lokah set the discourse over swadeshi-fying over own folklores. And along with a solid script and screenplay, along with excellent editing and cinematography, the technical team carried out the movie perfectly, raising the bar of expectations and theatre experience - according to the Scorsese lingo, it's the “absolute cinema”. Even after watching the movie, the visuals will remain in your head for some time, I can assure you that. Lokah was a small dream of a few people that started in 2020, and now it has transformed into the dream of an entire community of people.
The universe of Lokah, like Kalyani mentioned in one of her interviews, is not Avengers, DC, or X-Men, but after watching it, I could proudly say that it might not be like what Kalyani said, but it's more than that. Come on, how long have we been embracing Hollywood superheroes? Aren't we too tired to relate to those in New York or London, when we can have our own Scarlett Witch, Wolverine, and X-Men? Our own friendly neighbourhood superheroes in our very own Kerala? Therefore, do us a favour, go watch the movie if you haven't watched it yet! Finally, I have a request to make to the Bollywood - please, please, it is a request, don't put your hands on this one! Let it be like this. This is a cinematic universe we didn't ask but we Malayali cinephiles deserved it - it was indeed long overdue for us. Now we can proudly say that we also have a superhero universe, though it won't be like those Avengers, DC, or X-Men; it is our own! Ours only!
Rahath Rahila Illiyas is a graduate of Conflict Analysis and Peace building, Nelson Mandela Center for Peace and Conflict Resolution, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. She is interested in analysing conflict and peace resolution through media, gender, and culture.
