Radhika Apte Defines Badassery in "Ghoul"
Westernized storytelling has dominated the American horror scene for decades, but the Netflix miniseries Ghoul(2018), produced by the notorious Jason Blum in addition to Vikramaditya Motwane, serves as a gritty drama that elevates horror lore. With a stunning all Brown cast, the miniseries contributes a refreshing outlook on the horrors of war, fascism, and betrayal! Basing the grisly creature off of the Arabic lore of ghoul, later Anglonized as ‘ghoul’, the show follows a truly original narrative of a dedicated but naive daughter betraying her father amidst ongoing religious persecution of ‘suspected’ terrorists in a dystopian future.
The show stars Radhika Apte as Nida Rahiem, a Muslim military officer, new to the corrupt underworld of war crimes. Under intensive government propaganda and subliminal brainwashing, Nida falls prey to the false ideologies of heroism and nationalism, ultimately turning in her father(S.M. Zaheer) over to authorities for teaching ‘radical’ notions. When suddenly repositioned after her father’s arrest, Nida’s thrown into a grimy abyss of torture and brutality as she witnesses comrades commit violent crime after violent crime against ‘suspected’ terrorist prisoners, some who are even innocent and held in captivity regardless.
Ghoul is a genuine horror gem not only for its authenticity but also for its ability to deliver a compelling story with a Brown woman as the central character! Nida stands out as a powerhouse from the beginning, using her status as leverage.
Yet, her brilliant transformation occurs in the second episode of the miniseries. Realizing the disturbing truth about the fate of prisoners held at her new military location, strange events kick into high gear once an A-list level prisoner is brought in. It quickly becomes clear that the prisoner, Ali Saeed(Mahesh Balraj) ranks far from human!
Learning the mythology of the Aramaic ghoul who is summoned in hatred and with the summoner’s blood, it is a demonic creature that can wear the bodies of others and has the prime purpose of enacting gory revenge, eating the flesh of its targets.
In realizing her folly and ultimate betrayal of her father, Nida protects the remaining innocent prisoner, Ahmed(Muzaffar Khan), testing the wits of fellow panicked soldiers, even directly challenging the ghoul itself! Apte’s performance puts Brown women on the map in a powerful role that doesn’t revolve around typical male gazed themes(i.e. Body image, emotional disturbance, sex & sexuality, etc).
Instead, we are given a straight-up badass Brown lead that grasps the horror genre by the horns and embraces a stellar portrayal of sublime terror of mythical proportions!
Ghoul is Netflix India’s second-biggest TV series to reach international audiences with insanely positive reviews! The miniseries is currently streaming on Netflix in the U.S. so check it out immediately!
