Amid Lokah wave, Mamta Mohandas shines light on Arjun Ashokan’s Thalavara: ‘Superheroes fighting real battles’

Lokah: Chapter 1 - Chandra is the big buzzword, making waves across regions with its tale of a woman superhero, played by Kalyani Priyadarshan. But the Lokah wave has also swept away several well-crafted Malayalam movies such as Thalavara, which tackles a sensitive subject of vitiligo. Now, noted Malayalam actress Mamta Mohandas has given a shoutout to Arjun Ashokan for choosing to do Thalavara, representing the life of ‘several super - heroes & heroines who fight real battles every day.’

Mamta Mohandas on Thalavara

Thalavara is a 2025 Malayalam film, starring actor Arjun Ashokan in the lead role of Jyothish, who suffers from the skin condition of vitiligo. The film was released in theatres in August, but despite glowing reviews, it was not a crowd puller. Mamta Mohandas, a cancer survivor who also suffers from vitiligo, has appreciated both Arjun Ashokan and Thalavara director Akhil Anilkumar for sensitively portraying the struggles of people with the skin condition.

Though she does not name Lokah, Mamta begins her Facebook post by saying that even as we celebrate the successes of ‘superheroine’ films, she seeks to draw the viewers’ attention to Thalavara.

“I take this opportunity to also redirect your attention towards and throw a bright light on a hero who chose to select a script and played the role of a person who represents the life of several super- heroes & heroines that live amongst us fighting REAL battles everyday,” Mamta said in her Facebook post.

Also read: Thalavara movie review: Arjun Ashokan’s heartfelt slice-of-life tale brims with hope 

She thanked Arjun Ashokan for choosing to do Thalavara and congratulated Akhil Anilkumar for knitting together a beautifully painful yet powerful tale that highlights the challenges that one living with vitiligo has to face on a daily basis. Mamta, who was last seen in the Tamil film Maharaja, has been very vocal about her health struggles.

The actress concluded her post by saying, “More power to all Pandas that live amongst us - we shall kungfu through this and more!” Panda is how Jyothish is being called in the film because of his skin condition.

Thalavara also stars Revathy Sarma, Shebin Benson, Ashokan and Shebin Benson. The film is yet to announce an OTT partner. On the other hand, Lokah has turned out to be a blockbuster success and is expected to beat Mohanlal's Empuraan to emerge as the highest-grossing Malayalam film.

FAQs

Q. Who is the heroine of Thalavara Malayalam movie?

A. The heroine of the Malayalam movie Thalavara is Revathy Sarma.

Q. What is the Lokah movie about?

A. The Lokah movie is about a mysterious woman named Chandra, who moves to an apartment in Bengaluru. It is later revealed that she has superhuman powers.

Q. Who is the superhero in Kalyani Priyadarshan?

A. The superhero in Kalyani Priyadarshan film Lokah is Neeli aka Chandra.