Dulquer Salmaan’s banner issues apology over Lokah Chapter 1’s derogatory term used for Bengaluru women

A line spoken by Sandy Master’s Inspector Nachiyappa Gowda in Lokah Chapter 1 has sparked outrage, which will soon be removed.

Sandy Master's line about the two types of women has come under fire

The main antagonist in the new Malayalam movie Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra is Inspector Nachiyappa Gowda, a corrupt and misogynistic cop in Bengaluru, played to great effect by Leo-fame Sandy Master. Even though Nachiyappa’s views on women who are out and about at night are made abundantly clear in the film, a line that he says about there being only two types of women, has now created quite a furore, so much so that the makers are now set to remove the same.

Nachiyappa's slut-shaming of Bengaluru women causes furore

In the film, Nachiyappa makes a sweeping statement about girls from Bengaluru being ‘dagaar’, a derogatory term used to slut shame, which has irked Kannadiga audiences. They’ve also taken offence to the city being portrayed as a haven for those who want to do drugs and make merry. Following the public outcry over Nachiyappa’s line, Dulquer Salmaan’s banner and Karnataka distributor Raj B Shetty’s banner have jointly issued an apology.

“It has come to our attention that a dialogue delivered by one of the characters in our film, Lokah Chapter 1 has unintentionally hurt the sentiments of the people from Karnataka,” read the post, adding, “We deeply regret the oversight and assure you that no offence was intended. The dialogue in question will be removed/edited at the earliest.”

Meanwhile, others have also pointed out inconsistencies with the character, like, for instance, Nachiyappa, being a name widely used in the Coorg belt, who is then assigned a Vokkaliga surname – Gowda, and speaks Tamil at home.

Also read: Lokah OTT release: Kalyani Priyadarshan's superhero film digital rights bagged by this streaming platform?

Lokah Chapter 1, which introduces Kalyani Priyadarshan’s character Chandra, released in theatres in the Malayalam original version on August 28. The film features a smattering of Kannada and Tamil, capturing the multi-lingual culture of Bengaluru, which some audiences have been appreciative of. However, they have voiced apprehension about how this will play out if the film is dubbed in Telugu, Tamil or Hindi.

FAQs

Q. What is Lokah chapter 1 about?

A. Lokah chapter 1 is about the mysterious woman named Chandra, who has supernatural powers. Kalyani Priyadarshan plays Chandra in the Malayalam movie.

Q. Who is the writer of Lokah?

A. Actress Santhy Balachandran is the writer of Lokah. She has co-written the script with Lokah director Dominic Arun

Q. What are the Onam 2025 releases in Malayalam ?

A. Mohanlal's Hridayapoorvam, Kalyani Priyadarshan and Naslen's Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra, Fahadh Faasil's Odum Kuthira Chaadum Kuthira and Maine Pyar Kiya, starring Preity Mukhundhan and Hridhu Haroon, are the movies in theatres for Onam 2025, having released between August 28 and 29.

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