GHOUL, the Indian horror mini-series, just premiered on Netflix last week (24th August 2018) and the net is already buzzing. What is all the fuss about?
The backstory is pretty common: a dystopian future, a daughter who gives away her father for re-education, a creepy interrogation room for terrorists. However, from here, things evolve pretty quickly towards an unexpected direction, and the show becomes a lot creepier than you would ever imagine it. It’s horror, and darn good one.
The shows got good reviews: “Critics have hailed the show for tackling real-world concerns such as hyper-nationalism and sectarianism, whether this was intended or not by the shows writer and director Patrick Graham. Graham explained in an interview with VICE: “The primary goal of Ghoul as a story is first and foremost to provide entertainment. And that story is within the context of a dystopian future, and with a dystopian future there are certain boxes you have to tick, otherwise, it’s not a dystopian future. I would hesitate to say that there is a very specific political statement. Whatever the audience wants to interpret, they are welcome to.” (Read the whole review here).
IMO, you don’t need any political undertone to like this series. It stops too soon (that’s the only negative point) and Radhika Apte is outstanding in her role of repented interrogator. Also, it was a refreshing novelty having such a series set in a non-white environment. We need a diverse spec fic, and shows like this lead the way.