“Betāl,” the Netflix zombie drama from 2020, puts a British colonel’s undead battalion against a squad of modern soldiers in a remote Indian village. The setup is bold: a colonial officer from the Indian Rebellion of 1857 rises again, and his zombie redcoats fight a fictional force tasked with land clearance. The show wants to be a mythological horror thriller, but it leans hard on its cast to carry the weight.
Trailer, via Netflix India.
Colonel Lynedoch Takes Command
Colonel Lynedoch, played by Richard Dillane, is the show’s engine. He commands a battalion of dead soldiers who refuse to die, and his hunger for power drives the whole story. The show builds him slowly, showing how he controls those around him, including Commandant Tyagi, played by Suchitra Pillai. His hold over Tyagi is the show’s central tension, and it pays off in the final stretch.
Vikram Sirohi Carries the Weight
Vineet Kumar Singh plays Vikram Sirohi, the lead soldier caught between his duty and a secret he’s hiding. The show spends real time on his past atrocities, and his arc toward redemption through protecting Saanvi, the daughter of the corrupt Ajay Mudhalvan, gives the plot a human center. Aahana Kumra, as DC ‘Ahu’ Ahluwalia, holds her own opposite him, bringing strength to a role that could have stayed flat.
The Supporting Players
The supporting names fill out the conflict:
- Jitendra Joshi as Ajay Mudhalvan, the corrupt tycoon who sets the whole mess in motion
- Manjiri Pupala as Puniya
- Jatin Goswami as Assad Akbar
- Siddharth Menon as Nadir Haq
Swapnil Kotriwar, Meenal Kapoor and Savita Bajaj round out the village side, giving the small town a lived-in feel even as it gets overrun. The show trusts its actors to sell the horror, and most of them do.
The Pace Problem
The performances are the strongest part of “Betāl.” Singh and Kumra carry the weight of the story, and Dillane’s Colonel Lynedoch is a presence you won’t forget. The mythology drawn from Indian lore adds texture, mixing the undead with local legend in ways that feel fresh rather than copied. That’s the show at its best.
But the pacing sags in the middle. The series stretches four episodes across a single night of airing, and the back half drags. Some scenes are shot in tight, close spaces while others open up to wide shots of the village, which breaks the rhythm. The editing, according to the source material, was singled out for criticism alongside the general lack of suspense.
The Destruction of the Shrine
The show saves its best material for the end. Vikram faces Tyagi’s betrayal and Mudhalvan’s desertion, then makes a sacrifice that triggers a cataclysmic showdown. The destruction of the colonel’s shrine and the release of Saanvi close the story with real force, ending on a note that feels earned after the earlier rough patches.
“The destruction of the colonel’s shrine and the release of Saanvi.”
That final act redeems much of what comes before it.
Our Verdict
“Betāl” is a show with ambition and talent, held back by a middle stretch that doesn’t match its highs. The performances are strong, the villain is memorable, and the mythology is used well. But the pacing problems keep it from greatness. It’s worth watching for the actors alone.
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