'Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra': Who is Kalliyankattu Neeli? SPOILER FREE explainer on 'Yakshi' from Kalyani Priyadarshan movie

Inspired by the vivid and magnificent local legends of Kerala, Dominic Arun has managed to come up with the fantasy-action flick 'Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra', Mollywood's most successful Onam release this year. The Kalyani Priyadarshan-Naslen starrer, which is also enthralling the audience with an array of cameo appearances and a strong plot, is based on Kerala's regional folklore and myths.

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Malayalis, who last saw the terrorising side of Chathan (goblin) and 'Yakshi' (blood-thirsty female ghost) in Mammootty's 'Bhramayugam', get to see another side of the land's native supernatural. Also mentioned are Odiyan and Kathanar, two other famed characters from the Malayali legend. Most critics are happy with the effort made by Arun in building a superhero genre based on folklore, and Kalliyankattu Neeli, one of the most dreaded supernaturals in Kerala, becomes an integral part of the plot. Without dropping any clues, which could be further spoilers for those who are yet to catch 'Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra', here is the popular legend of Kalliyankattu Neeli.

 

The story of Kalliyankattu Neeli

 

A Devadasi woman called Karuvani and her daughter Alli lived in the area of Pazhakannur near Nagercoil, on the southern peripheries of old Travancore. Alli grew up to become an eye-catching beauty and fell in love with Nambi, a priest of the nearby temple. When they got married, Alli was unaware of the fact that Nambi was a shrewd womaniser. When Karuvani came to know about her son-in-law's misbehaviour, she banished Nambi out of the house. However, Alli decided to follow him without listening to her mother.

 

When the couple reached a forest area called Kalliyankattu, they decided to stop for a break. Tired from walking, Alli rested her head on her husband's lap and slept. Nambi's evil thoughts came out when he saw the gold ornaments on Alli's neck, ears, and hands as she slept with her head resting on his lap.

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Realising that Alli was sound asleep, Nambi bludgeoned her to death before leaving with the many gold ornaments on Alli's neck, ears, and hands. As her dead body was left abandoned, Alli's vengeful soul was reborn as Neeli and took up residence in the Kalliyankattu forest, a retreat for the rest of her life. Already a striking beauty, Alli's charm increased many-fold after becoming the 'Yakshi', who seduced men travelling through Kalliyankattu before feeding on their blood. While some versions of the story claimed that Neeli didn't spare even unborn children in the womb, some claimed that she only targeted lustful men. Neeli never got her vengeance as Nambi later died by snakebite.

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Nambi was later reborn as Anandan. Though she managed to track him down, she couldn't attack him due to his possession of a magical wand. After he fled to a village near Pazhayannoor, she took the shape of a woman and told the locals that Anandan was her husband who abandoned her following an altercation. The men of the village refused to believe Anandan's claim that it was a 'Yakshi' in disguise. After she killed Anandan that night, seventy men died by jumping onto his pyre in regret. In some versions, having completed her vengeance, Neeli's wrath went away. Some other stories claimed that she continued to haunt forests, killing travelers, forcing Kadamattathu Kathanar to step in. The powerful sorcerer priest contained and impaled Neeli at an Alstonia scholaris tree.

 

Kalliyankattu Neeli in Malayalam pop culture

 

Popular tele-serial 'Kadamattathu Kathanar', which was televised by Asianet, had popular south Indian actress Sukanya playing Neeli. She was the first main antagonist of the show, instrumental in the introduction of the hero, who later manages to defeat her not one, but twice. The story of the face-off between the two was also mentioned in the 1979 horror movie 'Kalliyankattu Neeli' by M. Krishnan Nair and the 1985 flick 'Kadamattathachan'. With Jayasurya's 'Kathanar: The Wild Sorcerer' set to hit the theatres soon, Neeli is likely to make another comeback to the silver screen.

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