Cinema often thrives when it marries folklore with fantasy, and Lokah does exactly that. At its heart lies the story of a grandmother’s tale woven into the life of a vampire superhero—a layered myth that feels both rooted in tradition and exhilaratingly modern. The film balances humor, nostalgia, and supernatural spectacle in a way that makes it stand apart from conventional genre movies.
The Weight of Immortality
The protagonist is no ordinary hero. She has lived for millions of years, carrying the burdens of time, memory, and endless wars. Her insecurities form the spine of the narrative; instead of being glorified as a god-like figure, she comes across as deeply human. The loneliness of immortality, the fear of irrelevance in ever-changing worlds, and the pain of outliving everyone he loves—these give the superhero dimension and melancholy.
Ilaiyaraaja, Mamooka, and Music That Haunts
Ilaiyaraaja’s score rises like a soul echo through the film. His composition for Mammootty’s song Kiliye feels like an eternal lullaby, linking the protagonist’s immortal pain with a grandmother’s eternal love. It’s not just background music—it becomes memory itself, a thread stitching together time, history, and unspoken emotion. Few films allow music to act as both emotional glue and narrative force, and Lokah does so beautifully.
Kalyani Priyadarshan at the Center
While the story pivots around ancient power and cosmic burdens, Lokah is anchored by Kalyani Priyadarshan’s performance. She embodies the paradox of innocence and strength—her presence lights up the screen with gentleness, while her role as a superhero challenges every assumption of fragility. She blends vulnerability with grit in a way that makes her the true heart of the film.
Kalyani doesn’t just “play” a superhero, she feels like one—graceful yet firm, naïve yet decisive. Her performance ensures that the audience roots for her more than anyone else; she doesn’t steal the spotlight, she naturally becomes the spotlight.
The Humor and Simplicity
Adding balance to the film’s weighty themes, the three friends’ comedy is refreshing. It never feels forced, but instead mirrors everyday banter, grounding the supernatural plot in lived reality. Meanwhile, the male lead’s performance feels deliberately understated. He resists the temptation of grandeur, lending the role a natural simplicity that allows the screenplay to breathe.
The screenplay itself deserves praise for how it interlaces humor, myth, romance, and existential dread without losing clarity. Each layer unfolds with purpose, like chapters of a fable handed down through generations.
Dulquer Salmaan and Choosing The Right Cinema
Of course, it is impossible to talk about Lokah without reflecting on Dulquer Salmaan’s uncanny sense of script-selection. Though not the central figure in this film, his choices consistently signal his refusal to take the easy or commercial path. Instead, he takes chances with stories that experiment with form, myth, and philosophy. In Lokah, his contribution enriches the film’s universe even though he does not dominate it.
Dulquer’s career so far feels like a road filled with carefully chosen detours—each project building a mosaic of experimentation rather than a safe filmography of predictable hits.
In this he is Producer and Lokah fits seamlessly into that vision, another testament to his cinema-first approach.
In Essence
Lokah is not just another superhero film. It’s a tapestry of myth and modernity—about grandmothers, music, eternal loneliness, and unexpected laughter. But more than anything, it is a film that places Kalyani Priyadarshan at its glowing center, while acknowledging the quiet brilliance of her peers.
It’s rare for a film to feel like both a bedtime story and a cosmic epic. Lokah somehow is both.
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