Nirala is given to gnomic statements. It goes with the territory. The leader of a religious cult with lakhs of followers, Nirala has master...
Nirala is given to gnomic statements. It goes with the territory. The leader of a religious cult with lakhs of followers, Nirala has mastered the formula of converting pablum into Kool-Aid. His inanities send his followers into raptures. His popularity has translated into significant wealth and authority. He has the power to corrupt the higher levels of government and decide the fate of an upcoming election.
It’s in his private moments that the elegantly dressed man previously known as Monty Singh lets his mask slip. The age belongs not to kings but saints, Nirala says. The ideal devotee is the one who is blind, he observes – a claim that filmmaker Prakash Jha fruitfully mines for the absorbing web series Aashram.
The first season of the MX player show, comprising nine episodes, focuses on the cult guru’s shenanigans. Pious on the outside but rotten to the core, Nirala is less godman than conman, as a character observes. His chief enforcer Bhope (Chandan Roy Sanyal) does all the dirty work while Nirala sleeps on silken sheets from which he occasionally wakes up drenched in sweat. He is haunted by the murder of a female devotee. Her skeleton has refused to lie peacefully under the earth and has...
