What a craze it was!!!! at least 10-15 or more years back! todays kids thrive on Superman, He-man, SpiderMan, X-Men and all the other western heroes, while Indian Super Heroes are suffering due to the ever increasing fame of Western Super Heroes, here comes a time to revive the memories of long forgotten our own Indian Heroes, the legacies of Diamond and Raj Comics.
First and foremost in mind can be no other than Nagraj; the green skinned man,with a lock of hair shaped like a snake’s hood and snakes flowing out of his wrist as and when he wishes!
He is the creation of Parshuram Sharma, Nagraj is the Ichhadhari Naag (A snake which can take the form of a Man at wish) . He is the protector of the Metro City-Mahanagar and is the enemyof evil, of terrorism. His perennial enemies are Nagpasha-his uncle, Prof. Nagmani, Thodanga, Nagina, Vishandhar,Nagpasha, Gurudev. he remains victorious because of the guidance of his mentor Guru Gorakhnath, blessing of his deity- Dev Kalajayi, devotion of his wives Visarpi and Bharti, and all the snakes which residein his body. his powers include his ability to become invisible, ability to blow the poisonous breath and kill the enemies, lots of snakes coming in and out of his body, his yoga power and much more! he is one of the most most admired and loved super heroes of India
And then if Nagraj is the top name in Indian Heroes then Anupam Sinha’s creation Super Commando Dhruv is the epitopme of a Human Being without naturally bestowed power, who proved that you dont have to have a spider bite you, or to be born on another planet, to be a super hero! you just need to have passion and compassion! you just need determination! this is what Dhruv is!
this orphan, born and brought up in Jupiter Circus is nimble and a master in Martial Arts, a great and unmatched Trapeze artist; since he lived with animals and birds for most of his young life, he can understand and converse in their language! the various skills he learned in the circus, he nurtured and developed! plus is great common sense! he was adopted by a Inspector General Rajan and his family, Rajan’s daughter is also a Super Heroin (Chandika) and she puts her life at risk for her brother often! He comes often in comic books with Nagraj, and saves the world from the attack of Terror. in the latest series, which is almost a depiction of Ramayana (Varan Kand, Grahan Kand, Haran Kand etc), Nagraj has a character similar to that of the Rama and Dhruv depicts Lakshamana. He also trains his neighbor hood kids to combat, top utilize resources, to use common sense and to be the Commando force! He is in love with Commander Natasha, daughter of his arch enemy Grand Master Robo, and got separated from her father voluntarily to marry Dhruv, they have son named Rishi. Another great ally of Dhruv is Dhananjaya, an Aqua-Human character who helps Dhruv in most difficult of circumstances. this character of Dhruv has stolen many a heart and is part of many fantasies! 🙂
If all super heroes are good and pure, there are few who defy law, who believe in eye for an eye and who don’t think twice before taking an action! this description best suits Doga. this Angry Young Man of the Streets is the savior of those unfortunates, who cant save them selves. And he has an army of dogs, who would die at one signal of Doga, without hesitating!
first time a well known Indian Super Hero is going to be on Silver Screen, and Doga is going to be the one to get the credit! Kunal Kapoor is going to act as Doga in Anurag Kashyap’s would-be flick.
Doga was originally Suraj, an orphan, who was brought up by a Daku Halkan Singh, who treated him as a Dog, hence Doga. he left the Daku to be with Adrak Chacha, his mentor and guide and his brothers. the four brothers trained Doga in Gym, Marksmanship, Boxing and Martial Arts. Suraj became Doga when these brothers were killed mercilessly by Killota. This fighter of the streets is misunderstood by the law and police for his ruthless behavior but he is admired and feared as well. his secret identity is known by a few of his trusted- inspector Cheetah, and Monika who is his long lost love Sonu, whom he takes to be dead. he also has a sister Kiran.
and then comes Bhokal! the warrior, the male pari or tha Protector of Fairies, king of Parilok! This ancient age super hero is the protector and defender of Vikasnagar. in Parilok, his parents are killed by Fuchang, whom he kills with the help of his friends Shootan, Atikrur and Turee, whom he loves and finally marries. this Hero invokes the name of the his Guru Mahabali Bhokal to gain super strength when he needs it, and he can fly, gets the most powerful shield and sword. he also had a pair of wings, but that was destroyed by the enemies. Bhokal had three wives, Tureen Rupsi and Saloni.
Other famous super heroes are Parmanu, Shakti, Tiranga, Inspector Steel, Agniputrs Abhaya, Shaktiman, Captain Vyom and many more.
We as kids used to thrive on these comics and series, they used to transport us to the unknown lads of adventure and fun. they made us feel the importance of good and bad, of winning the inner devil in order to conquer the world. they taught us that we don’t need super humane power to be a super hero; it just takes determination and compassion. Now a days television sets and computer games take over the lives of the kids, how unfortunate is the life of an average kid today! No more nurturing of fantasy the way we used to do through books and comics. the fun associated and the enigma hidden in the next page was used to be so scintillating! i still read those comics and remember those long lost glories of these characters.
Kissaa Kahaani 