By Barkha Kumari
The origin story of India’s first Muslim superhero is now out as a graphic novel. A Bengaluru artist first created the character nine years ago as someone who fights with humour, not fists or firepower.
Both the character and the book are called Musalman. His persona borrows from Superman. He wears orange shorts over a green suit and a flowing headgear instead of a cape. He can fly and shoot laser beams from his eyes. But his real superpower is his sharp tongue. “He sees humour as an antidote to hatred,” says its creator and writer, Falah Faisal. That said, his humour can “easily offend anyone”, he adds.
Musalman’s origin story reveals why he chooses dialogue and non-violence. He was born during communal riots, in which he lost his parents. He was rescued by a stranger and taken to a cricket academy, where he grew up. His alter ego is a budding left-arm fast bowler.
Character arc
One might assume Musalman was created as a response to rising Islamophobia, but its beginnings were more personal. “I am a Cutchi Memon Muslim. I grew up as an atheist, and I felt my faith was often imposed on me. So I imagined a Muslim character with edgy, even offensive humour, who was also critical of his faith. The character was a vehicle to present in-jokes within the community,” says Faisal, a filmmaker, comedian and graphic novelist.
Musalman’s turn as a saviour of the oppressed took shape in 2019, when Faisal, then a journalist, was covering the Citizenship Amendment Act protests. The pandemic, when members of the Islamic religious movement, Tablighi Jamaat, were labelled ‘superspreaders’ of Covid-19, further sharpened the character’s purpose. This episode unfolds as a comic storyline in which Musalman calls a press conference and is confronted by journalist Arnab Cowswamy. By the end, he manages to change the journalist’s mind for the better.
This story was originally published in deccanherald.com. Read the full story here.