Musalman, a superhero fights hate with humour in Bengaluru

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.

The space for satire and dissent has shrunk since Faisal began the series in 2017. Has he faced backlash? Does he self-censor his work? No, he says, before adding, “Perhaps because my Instagram following is small, and I write in English.”

That said, a Musalman comic he created outside the main story arc earlier this year opened the floodgates of hate. Titled ‘Inglorious Musalman’, it shows the superhero visiting student activist Umar Khalid in jail to help him flee, arguing he may never get a fair trial. Khalid refuses, saying he still believes in the legal system. Faisal says the backlash was expected, and, in some ways, validating. “I guess I broke past the liberal bubble with this one,” he says. In another story outside the arc, Musalman meets Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan who was arrested in a drugs case. This one is cleverly titled 'Maal Ho Na Ho', a nod to the actor's hit film.

Today, Faisal’s Musalman universe serves as both observer and commentator on the politics and social injustices of the day, while also seeking to challenge, “if not shatter”, stereotypes about Muslims. Incidentally, the journey of creating the series has brought Faisal closer to his faith. “I have started fasting and praying as well,” he says.

The graphic novel, published by Yoda Press, brings together eight of the 20 short comic stories Faisal has self-published so far. He has redone artworks in he older pieces as their style has begun to look dated.

Available online and in bookstores.