For decades, discussions regarding box office records in South Indian films have mostly centered upon superstar-driven action movies. From Rajinikanth’s record-openings in Tamil Nadu to the pan-India reign of Allu Arjun, the ₹100-crore club has been the playground for the male stars. Women-centric films, while adored and praised, hardly made it to these profitability milestones. But 2025 has eventually shattered that trend, courtesy of an unexpected hero or heroine in the guise of Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra.
The Malayalam superhero film, starring Kalyani Priyadarshan, has not only entered the ₹100-crore club but also rewritten history as South India’s highest-grossing female-led film. What makes the feat even more remarkable is that Kalyani, while known, has never been considered a “bankable star” in the traditional sense. And yet, she has managed to achieve what stalwarts like Nayanthara, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, and even Anushka Shetty never could.
The Breakthrough Moment
Released in late August, Lokah Chapter 1 stormed into theaters with minimal star hype but maximum intrigue. Within seven days, the film had raked in ₹46 crore net (₹53.5 crore gross) in India, alongside an impressive $6 million (₹52 crore gross) overseas. That pushed its worldwide total to ₹105.5 crore in just a week.
For context, the previous record-holder for a female-led South Indian film was Keerthy Suresh’s Mahanati, which ended its run with ₹85 crore. Other major contenders like Anushka Shetty’s Rudhramdevi (₹84 crore), Arundhati (₹70 crore), and Bhaagamathie (₹67 crore) all fell short of the ₹100-crore landmark. Even commercially bankable names like Samantha (Oh Baby, ₹40 crore) and Nayanthara (Imaikkaa Nodigal, ₹35 crore) could not breach that ceiling.
That is what makes Lokah Chapter 1 so significant: it did not just cross a number; it smashed a long-standing perception that female-led films in South India can’t pull in that kind of money.
Why Lokah Chapter 1 Clicked
So what made this folklore-inspired superhero drama resonate when many others didn’t?
First, the film’s concept itself felt fresh. Superhero films aren’t new to Indian cinema, but Lokah is steeped in Kerala’s own cultural storytelling traditions. Instead of trying to replicate Hollywood-style superhero tropes, director Dominic Arun crafted a narrative rooted in folklore, mythology, and local flavor. This gave the story a unique texture, one that audiences across India found both new and authentic.
Second, the film enjoyed strong word-of-mouth. While its opening was good, it wasn’t record-breaking. But audiences connected deeply with the emotional core of Chandra’s journey, and soon enough, theaters were filling up not just in Kerala but in metros like Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, and even Mumbai and Delhi.
And of course, there’s Kalyani Priyadarshan herself. Known until now as the daughter of legendary filmmaker Priyadarshan, Kalyani has spent nearly a decade working in Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu films. But most of her earlier triumphs had been part of ensemble works or against established heroes. Lokah Chapter 1 provided her with the opportunity to lead a project, and she did it with bold conviction. Transfiguring into Chandra, a fairy-tale-based superheroine, she proved potent as well as credible.
A New Chapter for Women in South Cinema
To fully grasp the importance of this achievement, one has to look at the trajectory of female-led films in South Indian cinema. Anushka Shetty, often hailed as the original “lady superstar,” carried films like Arundhati and Rudhramdevi almost single-handedly. Those projects proved that women could headline big-budget spectacles. Yet, despite their popularity, they fell just shy of the ₹100-crore mark when judged on raw numbers.
Nayanthara, meanwhile, became a brand unto herself in Tamil cinema, earning the title “Lady Superstar.” Her films had steady runs but rarely broke past ₹40-50 crore globally. Samantha, despite her massive popularity, saw her solo-led Oh Baby cap at ₹40 crore.
What Lokah Chapter 1 has done is not just break a record but also break a barrier. It demonstrates that with the correct story, size, and execution, a Southern female-led film can be as profitable as a male-superstar-led one.
Looking Ahead
With its ₹100-crore collection, Lokah Chapter 1 set the stage high for its sequels. It’s just the first part of a planned franchise, and fans are already anticipating where Chandra’s journey will go next. Even more crucially, its success will likely push filmmakers from all four industries—Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam—to greenlight more sizeable, ambitious films featuring women in the lead.
For Kalyani Priyadarshan, this is certainly a moment that will define her career. From being regarded as another mere “star kid,” she is now the face of a record-breaking blockbuster. For South Indian cinema, this can be the start of a long-overdue era where films are not judged by the gender of their leading man or woman but by the caliber of their vision.
Lokah Chapter 1 is not only a box office success. It’s a moment of culture, a moment that has shattered ceilings, defied stereotypes, and, most crucially, showed the world that the superhero the world has been holding out for may well be wearing a saree rather than a cape.