Lokah Chapter 1 row explained: The derogatory dialogue in Malayalam film that angered Kannadigas
Malayalam film, Lokah: Chapter 1, faced a massive backlash over its derogatory dialogue which offended Kannadigas. Dig inside to know everything about it!
New Delhi: Dominic Arun’s superhero movie, Lokah: Chapter 1 — Chandra, has courted yet another controversy after several Kannadigas called out the film for using derogatory terms to represent girls from Bengaluru. In the film, one of the characters addresses Bengaluru women as ‘dagar’. A Kannada colloquial term which means a promiscuous women. The term ‘promiscuous’ means a person having sexual relations with many people.
In the film, Sandy, who plays an antagonist, responds to his mother’s request to marry a girl from Bengaluru by saying, "I am not saying I won’t get married. But I won’t marry a girl from this city because they’re all s***s”, which has triggered massive backlash on social media.
Lokah Chapter 1 controversy explained
Not only this, but social media users also criticised the makers for showing partying and drug scene featuring Naslen’s character Sunny. After the controversy was escalated, Dulqueer Salmaan’s production team apologised for hurting the sentiments of Kannadigas and assured that the dialogue will removed or edited at the earliest.
In a statement, Wayfarer Films shared, "It has come to our attention that a dialogue delivered by one of the characters in our film Lokah: Chapter One has unintentionally hurt the sentiments of people from Karnataka. At Wayfarer Films, we place people above everything else. We deeply regret this oversight and assure you that no offence was intended. The dialogue in question will be removed/edited at the earliest. We sincerely apologise for the hurt caused and humbly request you to accept our apology.”
About Lokah: Chapter 1
The Malayalam movie, Lokah: Chapter 1, has created history as the first female superhero movie. Written and directed by Dominic Arun, the film has now collected Rs 40 crore. Starring Kalyani Priyadarshan, the film is a blend of high-octane action sequences and traditional folklore, including elements such as vampires and exorcists. The film was initially released in Telugu and Malayalam and now is set to release in Hindi on September 4, 2025.