Why ‘Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra’ worked: ‘It is possible to make an honest film in an honest way’

When Malayalam filmmaker Dominic Arun writes his memoir, he can pinpoint the exact day when his life changed forever. That would be August 28, 2025, the day Arun’s Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra was released in cinemas and was instantly declared a blockbuster.

Arun’s fantasy adventure, the first in a planned series, revolves around a league of superheroes that includes Chandra (Kalyani Priyadarshan). A centuries-old female vampire in human form, Chandra crosses paths with criminals behind an organ trafficking ring, the venal policeman Nachiyappa (Sandy Master), and her bashful neighbour Sunny (Naslen).

The movie explores how Chandra becomes a vampire, her encounter with Sunny and his friends, and the manner in which her story intersects with the other superheroes. Cameos from the likes of Tovino Thomas and Dulquer Salmaan – who has produced Lokah through his company Wayfarer Films – indicate the kind of universe-building that is typically found in Hollywood adaptations of Marvel comics.

The buzz around Lokah had been building in the run-up to its release, Arun told Scroll. The trailer had been well received, especially because there hadn’t been a woman-led superhero film in Malayalam cinema before. Arun and Salmaan felt that the movie certainly had potential.

“We knew that we had made a decent film, but none of us was expecting...

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