Program Note
Chandra, a mysterious woman with a hidden past, settles in the southern Indian city of Bengaluru under a new identity, hoping to live a quiet, anonymous life while working the night shift at a local restaurant, but after she saves Sunny, a young man living across the street, from a potentially fatal traffic accident, he becomes increasingly fascinated by her, inadvertently drawing Chandra into the dangerous underworld of a local gang whose deeply connected police officer, Sandy, begins to suspect her hidden identity. This film marks the thrilling inception of a brand-new superhero franchise from Mollywood—the Malayalam-language film industry—and as its title suggests, it serves as the grand opening chapter of an expansive cinematic universe deeply rooted in the legends and mythology of the Kerala region, introducing beings endowed with supernatural powers. While conventional superhero films predominantly focus on dazzling action and high-octane spectacle, this work firmly embraces the atmospheric mood of dark fantasy set against a shadowy, melancholic cityscape, blending myth, crime noir, and fantasy into a distinctive world that offers an intriguing first step into the epic saga of India’s first female superhero. (Martin LEE)