Historically, Muslims have lacked political representation but in recent years, they have had to face the wrath of the State and the majority community. However, a saviour is here to rescue them and fight back. Meet ‘Musalman’, India’s first Muslim superhero who fights hate with humour.
Created by Bengaluru-based writer and stand-up comedian Falah Faisal, with illustrations by Artist Spud, this graphic novel is the best antidote to religious majoritarianism and the political turmoil of our times. It explores identity, Islamophobia and Indian pop culture through humour, art and an unconventional hero.
This superhero dons a skull cap and fights for truth in non-violent ways. Faisal writes in the Afterword: “Ideas rarely arrive fully formed. ‘Musalman’ was no exception. One of the sparks came from a stand-up comedian and friend who once joked that he looked like a ‘Muslim Clark Kent’. That throwaway line stuck. What if there was a Muslim Superman?”
This superhero takes readers on a journey into the heart of India’s Muslim question and acquaints them with how the community is being stereotyped in mainstream media and popular writing; how Muslims have been made an imminent enemy to Hindu identity; and how their very existence is projected as a threat to the nation. A brilliant political commentary on India’s current political turmoil, ‘Musalman’ is a provocative act of storytelling, while blending humour, comedy and comics.
The novel contains eight themed chapters and each unveils the dark underbelly of hate, genocidal mindsets and how Muslims live in this atmosphere.
In ‘Musalman vs Coronavirus’, Faisal depicts how the community was blamed for spreading the virus because a Muslim religious outfit had organised a congregation. Instead of condemning the Tablighi Jamaat, the superhero takes coronavirus into space by attracting it to his new glowing costume and saves the nation.
In ‘Musalman vs Arnab Cowswamy’, the superhero goes to a prime time show where the nation wants to know if this new superhero is a hero or villain. Arnab Cowswamy, speaking on behalf of the Muslim superhero, says: “Despite what I have said in the past, I’d like to clarify that Indian Muslims have far more in common with Indian Hindus than they do with Muslims anywhere else in the world.”
As the superhero enters his studio, his whataboutery changes and he appears to be a toxic hatemonger whose media trials have damaged India’s rich social fabric.
In ‘Kahan Milega Musalman’, a reporter goes looking for the Muslim superhero after her editor scolds her for not bringing the superhero on their show first. Her search takes her to mosques, cricket academies and ghettos to find where this Musalman lives.
Brutally honest and painfully poignant, this is a stunning novel of courage in the face of darkness. A remarkable work of satire and art, this book is a combination of commentary, humour and comics, which speaks of both the triumph and tragedy of India’s Muslim community.
Its nuanced narrative, delicate subjectivity and refined yet funny presentation of Muslim-ness make this novel a bold adventure in graphics. Falah Faisal is a wonderful comedian who makes you laugh till the very end.
— The reviewer is an academic