A recent female superhero movie has achieved remarkable success, captivating audiences and critics alike, while also becoming a significant box-office hit. This film, Lokah, starring Kalyani Priyadarshan, has seen immense popularity not just in its original Malayalam, but also through its dubbed versions in Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi, resonating strongly across Chennai, Tamil Nadu, and the rest of India.
This success invites us to look back in time. It brings to mind 1984, when India’s first 3D film, My Dear Kuttichathan, premiered in Madras to great excitement. While its cutting-edge 3D technology initially drew massive crowds to cinemas like Devi Complex, audiences were equally enchanted by its story of a friendly spirit, a character deeply embedded in Kerala’s rich mythology.
Kuttichathan is revered in Malabar folklore as both a deity and a benevolent, mischievous guiding spirit. Throughout the verdant region, shrines big and small are dedicated to this playful entity, who is often depicted enjoying local offerings like toddy and dried fish, and notably shares a special bond with dogs.
By skillfully weaving together mythology and popular beliefs, My Dear Kuttichathan captivated both children and entire families. It leaned more towards delightful comedy than scary horror, much like Kamal Haasan’s Kalyanaraman films, and audiences adored it. The experience of watching a stone seemingly fly past in Devi Paradise, prompting spontaneous ducking and laughter, only enhanced the film’s charm.
Historically, My Dear Kuttichathan struck a perfect balance in Malayalam cinema, positioned between the more risqué features and sophisticated procedural dramas like Oru CBI Diary Kurippu. Today, Lokah pays homage to this 1984 classic by seamlessly merging a contemporary storyline with a mythical backdrop, introducing a vengeful spirit that echoes its predecessor’s magic.
In Lokah, Tovino Thomas makes a memorable cameo as Chathan, replicating the iconic upside-down ceiling walk of the original Kuttichathan. While the earlier film featured a child spirit, Tovino’s portrayal presents a youthful man who retains the mischievous charm of a schoolboy, beautifully connecting the two narratives.
Both films share a clever casting strategy, featuring actors from diverse linguistic backgrounds, and just like its pioneering predecessor, Lokah has been released in multiple dubbed versions. My Dear Kuttichathan was notably known as Chotta Chetan in Hindi. Across both the 80s classic and this modern hit, ancient myths are reimagined, imbuing these protective spirits with qualities of kindness and compassion.
Kerala’s legendary ‘yakshi’ tales, often used to playfully frighten children into eating their meals, carry a subtle horror that adults find themselves both embracing and nervously laughing about.
Lokah successfully makes these age-old stories engaging for contemporary audiences, delivering the same sense of cinematic wonder that My Dear Kuttichathan did decades ago. A delightful connection is found in the fact that Raghunath Paleri, the writer of the original My Dear Kuttichathan, also features in Lokah, proving that the threads of cinematic magic truly extend back to 1984.