Kali: Masked citizen and unmasked superhero

Have you seen Amit Ashraf’s web series, Kali? No, it is not about the Hindu goddess, it’s about a vigilante superhero in the city of Dhaka. When you look at it for the first time, you will obviously notice that it is about a female superhero in a third world concrete jungle, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. If you go into the series a bit further, there is actually some good character development. The protagonist, just like every other superhero, has an alter ego. By day, Amaya is a niqab wearing NGO worker, by night, an unmasked vigilante going by the name of Kali. Now what makes Kali interesting is that she is physically and mentally tortured. But she doesn’t wear a mask when she is Kali the superhero; everyone knows who she is when she is unmasked. She hides amongst ordinary citizens by wearing a niqab, a case similar to Superman wearing specs. However, unlike Superman, she can’t fly or lift a building at ease. Kali is tactical when it comes to fighting crimes. She knows her limitations and is willing to ask for help from trusted individuals. You cannot call Kali a superhero or an antihero. She isn’t necessarily a person motivated to solve crimes out of nowhere, her drive to bring justice to the oppressed and silenced is fueled by her own past experience, when she was a victim of an acid attack which left a scar on her face. This is clearly portrayed in every scene when she combats a crook hand to hand. Kali makes it clear, in a subtle manner, that she is not the moral compass of society. Rather, she suggests that there are problems and doing a few bad deeds to temporary solve problems might at least bring some social attention to the problems she fights. On the other hand it should be noted that the script is well written from the start to the middle. It shows some of the real problems women face in our present world. Also, it shrewdly shows how Amaya keeps her alter ego a secret. All the episodes are well paced and have a very intense storytelling style. But the fifth and final episode might not live up to everyone’s expectations. Nevertheless, it is a well-deserved treat if you like something new. And Azra Mahmood’s performance in the title role was out of this world. If you want to something fresh from Bangladesh, this is highly recommended. Go watch all the five episode on bioscopelive.com.