Ghoul: A walk through the now-forgotten Netflix horror-dystopia show.

7.2/10 IMDb

86% Rotten Tomatoes

If you liked Leila, you will love this. Just don't watch it alone at night, will give you the creeps.

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12:59 am 27/8/18
Is Netflix’s next big Indian drama ‘Ghoul’ just a supernatural thriller or an extension of the sectarian/divided/dystopian view of India?

In a drama with ghouls and cults and other supernatural elements, Is the background of a future unsecular, terrified dystopian India (the collective nightmare of India’s liberals), the actual fear this Orwell meets horror feature tv show trying to showcase. Very Orwellian from the beginning, the TV series plays not on fear of ghosts (at least in the beginning) but the fear of an India where, in the name of security and protection, it has lost its roots and is a full-blown totalitarian regime. Phrases like “beloved nation”, “national security” are being thrown in the dozen with the not so subtle message about minority communities being terrorists, religion and community-based profiling etc., an allegory for the same kind of fear, discrimination and ideology present-day right-wing nationalists and the derivative govt. at the Centre today espouses. Only in the series, it is full-blown government work, fully legal and with the help of the efficient non-rebelling, blind order-following and ideology-motivated armed forces. It’s what we hear about Guantanamo Bay in the name of National and International Security, in what I’d presume to be a worse scenario in the series, shown to be the primary peril of India. A fear very realistic and something which looks seemingly possible to people in the country today.

Also, there’s indoctrination, re-conditioning etc. etc. being thrown about and shown in classic dystopian-totalitarian style. Not to mention that there’s the classic conditioning of giving up your family to protect the false sense of patriotism. This by far is the first-on screen production of a dystopian or debatable-future India where the divisive forces have won, and there’s only little the citizens can do and there’s the supernatural element. Obviously, that’s a facade to show the deeper problems in India that only a few people (a negative exaggeration) in this propaganda laced time would understand in the country. At least, that’s what I’d conclude after Episode 1 of the tri-episode tv show.

On with Episode 2, the middle and penultimate episode both begins with more of an intro. to the supernatural element yet keeping in effect the background of working for the nation and the big brother more important than your family, friends or self. Such chauvinistic nationalism and jingoism playing through the eyes of members and recruits of the NSA: National Protection Agency or a modern Indian retake of The Ministry of Love which isn’t idiosyncratic this time around) is shocking and acceptable at the same time to some extent. Again, a factor in which this brilliant show plays on our fears and makes us believe that the contents and background is real and believable and very much possible in an India of tomorrow.

There’s an attempt at jump-scares and the likes coming to the forefront which tries to reinforce the idea that this is about, ghosts, ghouls and other means of things that people get scared and adrenaline rush more and that it’s at large a supernatural thriller. This feels more prominent when you are watching the show at 2 am in a completely dark room but the screen. Then there’s claustrophobia, torture, interrogation and the other spy/military basics which makes this is a bad civilian dream. And finally, “inciting the minorities against the government of the country” comes up and the intentions of the show’s background are out in the open again. The spookiness is admittedly nice but borrows heavily from horror movie cliché. (Thankfully, not the horrible Bollywood ones). Jump scares and more of them. It’s almost if the makers are screaming that it is the horror genre that they are making a show on and nothing else.

A reflection of the present times, the show almost ends with this memorable line, “This false sense of patriotism that seems to be spreading around the country.”
(Abbu sahi the!! Unki ladhai issi darawani sacchai ke khilaf thi. Jo deshbhakti ke naam par pagaalpaan ki tarah failty jaa rahi ahi.) ~(अब्बू सही थे| उनकी लड़ाई इसी डरावनी सच्चाई के खिलाफ थी| जो देशभखि के नाम पर पागलपान की तरह फैलती जा रही है | )

The ending of the show paves way for future seasons of the show to come up. And, we can expect a Hunger Games-esque battle with the state albeit with supernatural elements in the future. This 3-episode show shouldn’t need much production time and the ending is enticing enough to make people hooked to it in the future, so one can hope for it to return early but, BBC’s Sherlock without the political commentary has proved us wrong time and again.

Netflix makes us binge and chill and has made headway to India with dropping data rates in the country and localized high-quality content mostly consumed by the over 50% of our populace who are under-25. Hoping for a return of the Indian Katniss Everdeen, Cadet Nida Rahim to take on this totalitarian dystopian future state of India. Or more such shows, whichever comes first.