The genre of horror and mystery has always ruled the fancy of Indian audience. Be it Ramsay Brothers’ classic ‘Veerana’ or Ruskin Bond’s ‘Ghost Stories of Shimla Hills’, Indians have embraced all content that checks the right horror boxes in any possible form of storytelling. Though the same does not stand true in case of zombie thrillers, some progress has been made in that regard as well. Recently, streaming giant Netflix came up with ‘Betaal’, India’s first zombie horror series produced by Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Private Ltd. While the series was a treat for binge watchers, it also inspired a few others like popular YouTube channel Khooni Monday to come up with their own versions of the pioneering work of art.
Following the success of the series, the YouTube channel launched an animated story titled ‘The Legend of Betaal Mountain’, having a similar storyline but different treatment. The story revolves around a remote village, inhabited by a group of tribal people, where a highway is set to be constructed. The special squad sent for the purpose faces the first roadblock when the villagers warn against the idea of opening up a tunnel that is believed to be cursed. According to the villagers, opening the tunnel would lead to the unleashing of the evil of Betaal, a cruel British Army officer whose tales of torture and atrocities still make people shiver in fear.
This compels the squad to call a senior official named Sirohi, who later arrives in the village with the task to get the village vacated and the tunnel opened. What follows is a strange turn of events. While initially he encounters some unusual happenings, he is later informed about how the British officer has acquired a deity-like status and shouldn’t be disturbed to let peace prevail in the region. Sirohi is repeatedly warned by villagers against opening the tunnel and even informed about the warning given by a ‘tantrik’ who had helped lock Betaal.
Did Sirohi pay heed to the warnings? Was the evil unleashed? Could villagers protect themselves from the horror of the officer and his army? The answers to these questions are in ‘The Legend of Betaal Mountain’, the latest video created by Khooni Monday. The video has also been shared by Netflix India on its YouTube channel.
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