The Signal is a captivating sci-fi drama on Netflix that delves into the intriguing premise of alien arrival and the subsequent pursuit of information by a determined astronaut, Paula, and her subordinate, Hadi. Sent on a mission by the Indian billionaire Benisha Mudhi, their mission is to uncover the truth about the extraterrestrial presence so that she can use their advanced technology to her benefit and gain more power. Initially, Benisha appears to be a great supporter of this ambitious endeavor, offering encouragement to Paula throughout her discovery process. However, as the narrative unfolds, it is revealed that Benisha’s real motive extends far beyond the mere pursuit of knowledge. Paula and Hadi find themselves to be mere pawns in her elaborate game of manipulation. What is her real motive? Did she achieve her goal? All will be answered through this exploration of her character.
Spoilers Ahead
Why Is Benisha Mudhi An Inspiration To Millions?
Benisha Mudhi, an Indian billionaire, funded a space mission, sending Paula, and Hadi, on a space station to investigate the arrival of aliens. Initially, Benisha appeared as an admirable character, an inspiration to many due to her efforts in poverty alleviation and support for women’s empowerment, as she believed women handled money more responsibly than men. At the beginning of the series, the true purpose of the mission remained a secret, with Benisha instructing Paula and Hadi to inform the other astronauts that they were exploring outer space cells for potential therapeutic use in cell regeneration. However, secretly, they were tasked with discovering the existence of other planets or living organisms beyond Earth so that their advanced technology could be used for the benefit of planet Earth. Benisha specifically chose Paula for the mission despite knowing about her past episodes of psychosis and drug addiction because she believed in her intellect and saw her as a daughter. One day, Paula intercepted a radio transmission from another planet, hearing a voice saying “Hello.” She wanted to share this discovery with the others and record the voice, believing it should be disclosed to Earth. However, Benisha cautioned her against it, fearing for Paula’s safety due to political complexities she might not understand. Paula trusted Benisha wholeheartedly, believing she was protecting her from harm. Paula had confided in Benisha about her research on alien arrivals, intending to use their technology to help her daughter Charlie’s hearing impairment. Even when Paula experienced confusion and self-doubt during her episodes in space, Benisha’s encouragement kept her going. Benisha reminded Paula of her brilliance and assured her that she was always there to support her through thick and thin, motivating Paula to delve deeper into her research.
Why Did Mudhi Kill Paula And Hadi?
As the series progresses, Paula begins to question Benisha’s true motives, realizing she may have been manipulated, acting as a scapegoat for her devilish intentions. When Paula decided to reveal that she had received a message from an unknown entity and calculated the date and time of their arrival on Earth, Hadi asked her not to share the information with anyone else. Paula became more suspicious of Hadi when she found out that he had tampered with her recording tape. Despite Hadi’s attempts to convince Paula that she might be hallucinating about the entire incident, Paula remained adamant that her observations were real. As proof, she even wrote the information on her hand. In a desperate attempt to silence Paula and protect his family from threats made by powerful individuals, Hadi locked Paula in a cabin on the spaceship and threatened to deprive her of oxygen unless she revealed the information about the aliens’ arrival. Paula gave away the co-ordinates, but she was smart enough to give Hadi a fake one.
Upon returning to Earth after completing their mission, Mudhi praised Paula for her cooperation, stating that now they can use their power. However, after all of these things, Paula has come to the conclusion that Mudhi is trying to save the aliens for one and only purpose: to use their power for her personal gain. She believes that Mudhi wants to hold maximum power by utilizing their advanced technology and ruling over the world. Paula perceives that Mudhi has no intention of serving or saving humanity; it’s all driven by greed. Paula, realizing she had been manipulated by Mudhi all along, confessed that she had lied about the aliens’ arrival time and that the real time was safe with her family. Thus, Mudhi, being enraged, orchestrated a plane crash, killing Paula, Hadi, and 178 others, in a bid to maintain her facade as she realized that Paula wouldn’t help her in any way, so she eliminated her for being her threat.
Was Mudhi’s Alien Destruction Plan Finally Successful?
The government acted on the false information provided by Paula and detonated a bomb, only to realize there was no aircraft or alien arriving at the supposed time or place. After this, Mudhi took matters into her own hands and approached Paula’s family to retrieve the correct coordinates for the alien’s arrival. She believed that Paula’s daughter, Charlie, and her husband, Sven, might have the information; therefore, Mudhi kidnapped them and brought them to her home. Manipulating Charlie and Sven, Mudhi claimed she wanted justice for Paula’s death and promised to let them meet the aliens. Trusting Mudhi, Charlie revealed the landing time and location, indicating they had 14 hours until the aliens’ arrival. Mudhi, along with Nora, her assistant, and Sven and Charlie, set out by helicopter to the location.
During the journey, Sven received a message exposing Mudhi’s involvement in the conspiracy and grew fearful for his child’s safety. Mudhi defended her actions, claiming she was a national hero, not a murderer. She needed to get hold of the alien landing information because she wanted to be the first one to harness their power before it fell into the wrong hands of some powerful individuals, or the government. She feared that these people might exploit the technology and turn it into a weapon of mass destruction. However, truth be told, Mudhi herself wanted to use the technology for her own gain and become one of the most powerful individuals on the planet. Her narcissism and greed for power were quite evident throughout the series, and as individuals, we don’t trust multi-billionaires anymore. We have had so many bad examples in real life to relate to.
Upon reaching the destination and realizing there were no aliens, Mudhi became enraged and threatened to kill Charlie and Sven. However, Sven revealed something that she did not expect—there were no aliens! Paula played with her, as she knew she was abusing her power to destroy something that can help the world. Realizing she had been deceived, Mudhi became furious and ordered Nora to shoot Charlie and Sven. Even though Nora hesitated, fearing the consequences, Mudhi was relentless. In a quick move, Nora pretended to shoot them and warned them not to move until they left.
In the end, it is seen that Mudhi’s crimes caught up with her. After hiding in a rural village in Andhra Pradesh for three months, she was finally arrested by the police, and justice was served for her heinous actions. Her attempts to masquerade as an international hero were futile in the face of the truth. This culminated in her downfall from a philanthropic facade to criminality through her evil scheming.
