Netflix Written and directed by Patrick Graham along with Nikhil Mahajan, Betaal is an Indian horror zombie web series that was released on Netflix on 24th May 2020. The official trailer was released on 8th May which marked it as the fifth original Indian series in 2020. It is based on the book with the same Netflix name written by Bilal Siddiqui.
Actors, Vineet Kumar Singh and Ahana Kumra have been seen starring in the show as Vikram Sirohi and DC Ahluwalia respectively. In total, the show Netflix has just 1 season having 4 episodes with a total runtime of around 45 to 50 minutes each.
The storyline is based on a village Netflix that gets stuck between the encounter of the police department and the British army zombies. The official synopsis is as follows –
“While on a mission to Netflix displace the natives of Campa forest in order to build a highway, Sirohi and his squad unwittingly unleash the curse of Betaal mountain. […] A remote village quickly becomes the arena of a breathless battle when a two-century-old East India Company Colonel, infected with Betaal’s curse, and his battalion of blood-thirsty zombie redcoats are released
from their tomb, attacking anything Netflix with a pulse. The CIPD forces are pitted against the undead army that wreaks havoc on the people and threatens to end civilization as we know it.”
Some viewers have appreciated the show deeply praising its elements and the screenplay. While others thought of it as spine chilling and recommended to binge watch it!
While the movie appealed greatly to a set of audience, others Netflix think that horror web series wasn’t terrifying and was merely mediocre. The IMBd has rated it 6.2/10 whereas rotten tomatoes hasn’t reached a consensus yet.
Apart from the negative comments, allegations have been Netflix made that the show infringes the copyright of the original screenplay Vetaal, a Marathi film. Sameer Wadekar and Mahesh Gosavi have taken the case to Bombay high court by saying that they observed similarities by watching the trailer and the official synopsis.
Netflix hasn’t commented on anything regarding this yet.
Tanveen Kaur
School: K.R Mangalam World School, Gurgaon
Grade: 12th
Tanveen is a passionate writer who is able to articulate her ideas in her writings. Being an economic enthusiast, she is well acquainted with news and current affairs. She is also a budding poet!
