Ghoul review: Radhika Apte's Bloody Skirmish With The Devil Himself Is A Gripping Tale But Lacks Pace

Netflix brings us yet another gripping tale that attracts the sensibilities of the Indian audience who accept gory cinema and rather relish the blood and carnage. Ghoul is just another tale of the devil meets mankind and how that turns out to be. All this time, the only famous Ghoul series that managed to strike a chord with the audience (at least the ones who watch anime) has been Sui Ishida's Tokyo Ghoul. The plotline of Tokyo Ghoul and Radhika Apte starrer Ghoul is pretty similar in many respects. Th existence of Ghouls, for starters, is one aspect that both the series have used. Of course, add the fact that they require human flesh and blood to thrive and you've got the Indian rendition of Ghoul.

The premise of the story is quite basic. There is a Ghoul locked down in a high-security zone which is guarded by an unusually few security personnel comprising of only twelve individuals. Well, it's a party for the Ghoul as devouring twelve humans will suffice his hunger pangs.

Hits

The minute you start watching the series, you'll be taken back to George Orwell's 1984 setting. With the Big Brother watching every individual's every move and invoking espionage in the form of young children, a similar idea has been showcased in the series. Instead of dumbing down some evil man-eater fantasy, writer Patrick Graham focusses on the snowballing issue of Islamophobia.

The sensitive subject of terrorism and State-integrated penitentiary is a sensitive subject that has been displayed cunningly. Attributing to the jingoists and their blind faith and idea of heroism, war and terrorism are lightly trodden on by the show. Certain frames used to enhance the abominable macabre comes straight from the episodes of Walking Dead, with the only difference being, Ghoul has been placed in a box house with no sunlight or fresh air.

The plotline of involving a supernatural element in times when the audience does not resonate with the idea of evil forces is a tricky concept that has been curated splendidly. The idea is applaudable for its edginess and its social relevance. The writer has subtly hinted at the besmirched minds of individuals who work at the security centre. Their depraved minds and the effect of every tormenting interrogation session they conduct has a rather harrowing repercussion of guilt that keeps building more and more in their minds.

Radhika Apte, Manav Kaul, Mahesh Balraj, Ratnabalu Bhattacharjee's performances, needless to say, are convincing. Shades of grey in all their characters slowly unveil in the stretch of three episodes.

Misses

While story-wise the idea is commendable, can't say the same about the execution. With a star cast so powerful, you would expect things to pace up soon and see some thrills at the expensive of lives. However, with the sluggish pace by which the series culminates, the end is nearly not as satisfying. It literally takes about two episodes for the show to take off, only to conclude in the third episode. Nope, there's no cliffhanger as such that would make you want to stay hooked to the series. The ending is abrupt, yes.

The series - at least the first two episodes - will actually remind you of the scourging travelling sequence in Sanjay Dutt's Rudraksh movie (thinking fo you, Pretentious Movie Reviews). They take things too slow for the audience's attention span. It takes aeons for the plot to thicken only to be dispersed into 'The End' without an impact. With a story so powerful, the execution apropos with the direction is inferior. Suddenly, the long stretch of nothingness will make you thank the makers for making a series as short as three episodes.

For those who are rooting for the show to make the most of its gory details, don't bother. You're not going to get the mental satisfaction of decimation that you're looking for. As stated earlier, the pace is so languid that by the time the carnage begins, the lights are off. That's right! They shut the lights and give intrepid visuals of bloodied floor and walls to show that someone died there.

Lastly

It is a brave attempt at showing Quentin Tarantino-inspired deathfest and a Guillermo Del Toro-influenced alien party going after the blood and flesh. It is watchable, especially because it is a mini-series, however, trying to make sense out of it in the first episode itself is like trying to make sense out of Joseph Heller's Catch 22 in the first three-quarters of the book.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 25, 2018 10:55 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).