Betaal S01
Director: Created, written and directed by Patrick Graham; co-written with Suhani Kanwar, co-directed by Nikhil Mahajan
Cast: Vineet Kumar Singh (Commandant Vikram Sirohi), Aahana Kumra (Deputy Commandant Ahluwalia), Suchitra Pillai, Jitendra Joshi, Manjiri Pupala, other ensemble members
Betaal – Season 1 is a four-episode Indian horror‑thriller streaming on Netflix, released May 24, 2020. The narrative unfolds across roughly 190–200 minutes, directed and written by Patrick Graham, with Suhani Kanwar as co-writer and co-direction by Nikhil Mahajan. Produced through Blumhouse Television in collaboration with Red Chillies Entertainment, the series combines folk horror, zombie tropes, and postcolonial allegory WikipediaGadgets 360.
The story begins when an elite Indian paramilitary unit, the Baaz Squad, is deployed to forcibly relocate tribal villagers to develop a tunnel. This act awakens an undead battalion of British soldier-zombies from the 1857 rebellion—led by the vengeful colonial officer Colonel Lynedoch. Commandant Vikram Sirohi (Vineet Kumar Singh) and Deputy Commandant Ahluwalia (Aahana Kumra) find themselves trapped in a supernatural siege as the undead army advances hindustantimes.com+10Wikipedia+10Firstpost+10.
While the premise offers potential for intense folklore-infused horror, critics widely faulted the execution. Reviews highlighted weak scripting, over-the-top gore, predictable jump scares, shallow character arcs, and tonal inconsistencies. Efforts at political commentary on tribal displacement and colonial exploitation were deemed underdeveloped businessinsider.in+2Reddit+2.
Audience reactions were sharply divided. IMDb users generally rated the series low (averaging 5.4/10), with many negative reviews citing poor dialogue and unscary zombies; while others, especially horror fans, appreciated the ambition and creative creature design and rated it more generously (around 7/10) Reddit.
Despite critical disappointment, Betaal – Season 1 earned notice as one of India’s first major zombie horror productions and received a nomination at the Filmfare OTT Awards for technical categories (editing, cinematography, art direction) NewsBytes+15Wikipedia+15The Times of India+15. It remains a polarizing but memorable entry in Indian OTT genre programming.
Betaal – Season 1 is a four-episode Indian horror‑thriller streaming on Netflix, released May 24, 2020. The narrative unfolds across roughly 190–200 minutes, directed and written by Patrick Graham, with Suhani Kanwar as co-writer and co-direction by Nikhil Mahajan. Produced through Blumhouse Television in collaboration with Red Chillies Entertainment, the series combines folk horror, zombie tropes, and postcolonial allegory WikipediaGadgets 360.
The story begins when an elite Indian paramilitary unit, the Baaz Squad, is deployed to forcibly relocate tribal villagers to develop a tunnel. This act awakens an undead battalion of British soldier-zombies from the 1857 rebellion—led by the vengeful colonial officer Colonel Lynedoch. Commandant Vikram Sirohi (Vineet Kumar Singh) and Deputy Commandant Ahluwalia (Aahana Kumra) find themselves trapped in a supernatural siege as the undead army advances hindustantimes.com+10Wikipedia+10Firstpost+10.
While the premise offers potential for intense folklore-infused horror, critics widely faulted the execution. Reviews highlighted weak scripting, over-the-top gore, predictable jump scares, shallow character arcs, and tonal inconsistencies. Efforts at political commentary on tribal displacement and colonial exploitation were deemed underdeveloped businessinsider.in+2Reddit+2.
Audience reactions were sharply divided. IMDb users generally rated the series low (averaging 5.4/10), with many negative reviews citing poor dialogue and unscary zombies; while others, especially horror fans, appreciated the ambition and creative creature design and rated it more generously (around 7/10) Reddit.
Despite critical disappointment, Betaal – Season 1 earned notice as one of India’s first major zombie horror productions and received a nomination at the Filmfare OTT Awards for technical categories (editing, cinematography, art direction) NewsBytes+15Wikipedia+15The Times of India+15. It remains a polarizing but memorable entry in Indian OTT genre programming.