Indian web space gets a zombie horror series in Netflix original Betaal. Produced by Shah Rukh Khan, the four-episode series has been created, written and co-directed by Patrick Graham who earlier made Ghoul for the same streaming platform.
“After Ghoul, I wanted to create a different kind of horror series, which was more action packed and accessible. The concept of a cursed mountain containing an ancient spirit takes inspiration from Indian mythology, and it’s about time we saw some zombie redcoats in popular fiction,” Graham told IANS.
“The series weaves its own ghost story to give backing to the action and suspense that then follows. I hope there is enough horror, suspense, shocks and, above all, strong characters to keep the audience hooked right up until the very end. You can expect some blood, some guts, and a lot of drama and emotion that should provide an exciting binge-session for everyone at home,” he added.
What is Betaal about
Set in a remote village, the show narrates the story of a team on a mission to help the villagers and fight the horrific enemy. It started when they stumble upon the curse of Betaal mountain, which unleashes an army of zombies on them as well as the villagers. In a release, Netflix called it a “breathless battle when a two-century-old East India Company Colonel, infected with the Betaal’s curse, and his battalion of blood-thirsty zombie redcoats are released from their tomb -- attacking anything with a pulse”.
{{/usCountry}}Set in a remote village, the show narrates the story of a team on a mission to help the villagers and fight the horrific enemy. It started when they stumble upon the curse of Betaal mountain, which unleashes an army of zombies on them as well as the villagers. In a release, Netflix called it a “breathless battle when a two-century-old East India Company Colonel, infected with the Betaal’s curse, and his battalion of blood-thirsty zombie redcoats are released from their tomb -- attacking anything with a pulse”.
{{/usCountry}}The show stars Viineet Kumar, Aahana Kumra, Suchitra Pillai, Jitendra Joshi, Jatin Goswami, Manjiri Pupala, and Syna Anand. Produced by Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies, Betaal has names such as Blumhouse Television and SK Global Entertainment attached to the show. Shah Rukh earlier produced spy thriller Bard of Blood, featuring Emraan Hashmi, for the streaming service. While the show lands on May 24 at midday, no advance copies have been shared with the media for a review.
Betaal cast on the show
“I am essaying the role of a tribal woman (Puniya) who is consumed by anger and hatred for the CIPD (Counter Insurgency Police Division) which eventually leads to an interesting turn of events. It’s a very compelling character and without giving away much all I can say is watch out for Betaal and the monster within us,” Manjiri said.
“I hadn’t done anything in the horror space and had never worn uniform onscreen. The way the script was written, my character and his backstory was so interesting. His back story, which is dark and keeps haunting him, is very well flashed out and runs parallel to the current narrative,” said the show’s lead actor Viineet. “He faces a lot of internal battles along with the external and eventually faces his past, his demons. My directors helped me get exactly what they were looking for. It was such a fantastic experience.”
(With inputs from IANS)
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