GHOUL (webminiseries)
by
Patrick Graham
In case you had any doubt till now,Islam is in grave danger.After
watching Ghoul,you wont easily forget
that Islamists face an existential
crisis. Al Qaeda,ISIS,Sunni Wahabis,every rabid mullah in your locality and
each terror attack in the world has been constantly bringing home this truth
that everyone is out to get the adherents of the religion of peace.Microphones,knives,bombs and
planes were not enough to vent out these ‘perceived grievances’,and seek
redressal.We needed a webseries to paint a horrific picture,and alarm the poor
,helpless religionists into action.Something has to be done,a ghoul needs to be
invoked.The invocation is in Aramaic,an ancient,pre-Islamic language,but the
ghoul does arrive to save persecuted Muslims from heathen Hindus in the
webseries.
The series is set in ‘near future’which might just be post
-2019.As part of propaganda against the current regime ,the so-called liberals (led
by Anurag kashyap) would like us to believe that India sits on the edge of
Hindu totalitarianism. It does not specifically say it is set in India,but
names like Chowdhary,Gupta and Laxmi leave little scope for imagination.The
dystopian set-up is basically just a ploy to create a scenerio where Islam is
being persecuted by the brute ,militant,nationalist Hindu majority.Severe
crackdown is in vogue. Holy Books and sacred literature are being burnt,Moslems
are being detained and interrogated a la
Stalinist regimes in the name of dangers that radical Islam poses,and
programmes of re-education and reorientation are under process (Vaapsi) in the
name of protecting the society,and maintaining peace.There is even an execution
chamber ,on the lines of concentration camps,where Muslim detainees are killed.Such is fear,paranoia and repression
,that a daughter feels obliged to betray her father and report him to
authorities.Of course,the father (a dissident Islamic preacher) is presented as
some kind of a champion of free speech .
Soviet Russia,Xinjiang,Saudi Arabia,Israel-so many
references come to mind,but the makers (led by one Mr Anurag Kashyap) have
chosen to denigrate Hindus as oppressors.The series masks its severe hatred for
Hindus by presenting it as hypernationalism,and jingoism,but the drift is
clear.
The idea is based on Arabic mythology.A Ghul can be summoned
by drawing its symbol in your own blood. The ghoul uses the person's guilt to
destroy and kill them. The ghoul then eats a part of the flesh, bringing the
body back to life - which the ghoul then inhabits.This idea is transported into a detention camp,run by Manav Kaul (a
Goan Christain whose family terrorised native Goans way back in the sixteenth
century) and his minions,who are all Hindus.A most wanted terrorist arrives at
the camp,and is able to reveal their sins and guilts to the enforcers of the
camp.This causes havoc among the staff,and leads to mayhem.
The plot is interesting ,and maintains suspense (or confusion) throughout.The sets are dark,damp ,dilapidating and claustrophobic .The
atmosphere looks set for some kind of release or showdown,and when the camp
gets infested by the evil spirit,it doent come as much of surprise.Elements of
gore and horror are nicely fused to give this an eerie feel.
Performances are first rate.Radhika Apte shines as a
motivated trainee-cum-interrogator,as an indoctrinated woman or as the hunter or
the hunted one in the climax.If she comes across as conflicted (and
constipated),her role demanded so.Manav Kaul is a master.He adds value to every
frame he is a part of.The rest of the cast including Mahesh Balraj also play their part well.The ghoul doesn’t look
comical,and some scenes do create magic.But the plot is wrapped up too soon for
sake of narrative convenience ,and that leaves one bereft of any feeling of satisfaction. The series is a bit
disturbing ,although it wont haunt its viewers,but its blatant attempt at fearmongering
of Islamic persecution must be decried in no uncertain terms.
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