“I feel like Musalman is actually a messenger from the past that I grew up with. Things were far more harmonious two decades ago, and I feel like it's very important to have a new generation learn that this is how India was and still can be in the future,” said Bengaluru-based graphic novelist Falah Faisal.
A character born from a joke by one of Falah’s friends who looked like a ‘Muslim Clark Kent’, he first created Musalman in 2017. The Bengaluru-based comic author has since released two storylines and is currently working on a film adaptation for India’s first Muslim superhero, as his way of bringing positive representation to the Muslim community.
“I grew up in a different India, where my neighbours were Hindu, Muslim and Christian, and we celebrated festivals together. Diwali was my favourite festival, and in school we all said the Lord’s Prayer together. I was never made to feel different because of my religion,” Falah recalled.
The Musalman series was nominated for Best Webcomic at the first-ever Indian Comic Book Awards that took place earlier this May. Now, it is available to read as a graphic novel titled Musalman: In the Flesh – a compilation of the chapters from the first season.
But, there is a darker side to Musalman’s origins—a global event whose effects were felt at a very personal level.
“Musalman was born on September 11, the day the World Trade Centre towers fell, because that event has left an undeniable mark on all our psyches," said Falah.
The tragedy marked a new wave of Islamophobia and Muslim stereotyping across the world that Falah has tried to counter through his comics—offering a Muslim character in pop culture, whose only story isn’t about violence inflicted on others.
How the idea took shape
Musalman joins a very small group of Muslim superheroes from across the world. Kamala Khan, otherwise known as Ms Marvel, was Marvel’s first major Muslim protagonist character on the big screen. She is a Pakistani-American teenager from New Jersey who discovers that she has body-morphing abilities.
Burka Avenger is another Muslim superhero with an animated television series of the same name. The Pakistani character is a superhero who uses her burka as a disguise while fighting off villains. Simon Baz (DC’s Lebanese-American Green Lantern), Sooraya Qadir (Marvel X-Men mutant, Dust) and Bilal Asselah (DC’s Algerian-French Nightrunner) are a few other such Muslim superheroes who have been featured as supporting characters in comics.
While Musalman naturally possesses super powers, he is a lot more. Musalman can fly, shoot lasers from his eyes, but also deliver a killer joke. “Musalman’s sense of humour is closer to Deadpool or The Tick," Falah explained.
Another interesting characteristic is that Musalman tries to be non-violent as much as possible. He tends to use conversation and discussion to resolve issues instead of using physical violence.
Like Superman, Musalman also has his alter ego – a left-arm fast bowler named Muhammad Salman, who plays for the Indian cricket team.
“Growing up, I really admired players like Zaheer Khan and Irfan Pathan, who I have based the character on. Even now, Salman’s plight reflects the kind of trolling Mohammad Siraj or Shami receive when India loses a match,” Falah said.
Falah wants to create a cricket comedy film to show more of Musalman’s cricket world, titled ‘Musalman ka Mohallah’. When asked what the film would be about, he described it as being like Lagaan but with T20 and Superheroes.
Inspirations, responses
Falah generally takes inspiration from real-life people and events to create his storylines. He calls his comics a form of Gonzo journalism, which is a first-person style of reporting pioneered by Hunter S. Thompson in 1970. This approach blends factual reporting with hyperbole, satire, and vivid, often erratic, personal experience.
“My comics are a form of Gonzo where I am basically reflecting on the world that I see around me and just adding a twist - that of a Muslim Superhero," added Falah.
Falah also likes to bring personal experiences into his writing.
In ‘Falahdeen’, another series he writes about a stoner and a genie who lives in his bong, one that he considers autobiographical, he likes to play out his deepest desires to their logical conclusion. Falahdeen’s alter-ego is Harami No. 1, a moniker born from his love for Govinda and David Dhawan comedies from the 90s.
Starwoman is another one of Falah’s superhero characters, inspired by David Bowie, one of his favourite musicians of all time. “When David Bowie passed away in 2016, it really affected me. I wanted to find some way to channel his energy,” said Falah.
So, he created Starwoman and released it on Bowie’s 5th death anniversary. Starwoman is an astronaut who goes into space in a Space Joint, but when it blows up, what saves her is a David Bowie song – ‘Starman’ from the seminal album ‘The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars’. The song summons Bowie’s spirit that merges with her to give her superpowers.
The author said that he has had fan encounters with children as young as 9 and older adults in their 60s. “In my head, I’m writing for young adults who are 18 to 35 and politically aware. But I always come across people from diverse age groups that I never expected to reach," Falah explained.
“This nine-year-old kid who had painted Musalman’s ‘Meem’ symbol (the letter in the Arabic alphabet equivalent to the English letter ‘M’) on his T-shirt came to meet me and said that I was his second favourite superhero after Miles Morales (an Afro-Latino variant of Spider-Man), which for me was a huge compliment,” he added.
Even when he gets approached by older audiences, he is taken aback by the fact that readers on the other end of the spectrum also appreciate his work.
With over 20 chapters over 2 seasons out, the Musalman comics are currently concluding the second story arc. Falah hopes for the last chapter of this arc, ‘Soma’, to be released by the end of June this year. He usually writes his stories within a day or two, but the illustration takes longer. His current illustrator, Arun Presanthen, is an animator by profession and draws Musalman when he gets free time, which has resulted in long delays in the story.
After the current storyline is done, the next season – Musalman for PM – will feature Musalman running for office. Falah hopes to use his experience of working as a Political Consultant during the last General Election to satirise the electoral process, which he observed closely.
Falah also has plans to take a different route for his series – that of comedy sketches, which he has been making more of recently. He also does stand-up comedy as Musalman in a new show that he is touring across the country to promote his graphic novel.
“I stopped doing stand-up in 2017, around the time I created Musalman, because I found a better outlet for my creativity and humour. Now, I’m back to doing stand-up but in character as Musalman, which is things coming full circle,” Falah said. He has upcoming shows in Kolkata, Goa and Mumbai besides regularly performing in Bengaluru.
Musalman: In the Flesh is available on Amazon and in independent bookstores across the country. The individual issues can be bought on ComixCanal or by reaching out to the author directly.
This article was written by a student interning with TNM.