Kerala’s modernity has long been outward-looking, sustained by migration, multilingualism, and cultural exchange. Today, Malayalam cinema is translating this cosmopolitan ethos into soft power. The success of films such as Lokah Chapter One: Chandra signals how local folklore, social realism, and global genres are converging to produce a distinctly Malayali cultural presence on the world stage.
Lokah Chapter One: Chandra, a Malayalam filmdirected by Dominic Arun and released during Onam 2025, broke box office records to become the highest-ever-grossing Malayalam film. Co-written with Santhy Balachandran and produced by Wayfarer Films, the film is centred on a young girl, Chandra, played by Kalyani Priyadarshan, who is a loner in Bengaluru, working late evening shifts at a cafe. Chandra’s haunting eyes speak to the hurt she tries to hide, her childhood trauma and pain, stemming from encounters with misogyny, amongst other social injustices. Even as she possesses special powers, a trait shared by most superheroes, she remains reclusive. This premise sets this film apart from others coming out of Bollywood in the last few years. It is an addition to a collection of films in the superhero and magic realism genres that are coming out of Kerala’s film industry. This surge is an outcome of a cultural moment in the state and is replete with geopolitical ramifications.