It’s not very easy to analyze a character that is itself very underdeveloped in the narrative. In Rohit Shetty’s latest release, Indian Police Force, all of these lead roles, Kabir Malik, Vikram Bakshi, or Tara Shetty, as well as the antagonists, Zarar or Rafeeq, could have had interesting arcs, but their additions seem random and the makers of the series might have forgotten to develop each of these characters properly. Indian Police Force is a seven-part action thriller revolving around some terrorist attacks taking place in different parts of India, which led the Delhi Police to investigate and find out the culprit behind such a catastrophic situation. So, let’s talk about the main antagonist of the story, Zarar, an Islamic extremist who left his own country in terror by carrying out a series of bomb blasts single-handedly. Zarar was an ordinary boy from an ordinary Muslim family, but when his mentor, Rafeeq, sowed hatred and chaos in his mind against Hinduism, Zarar grew up to become a stone-cold murderer. Let’s discuss his journey from the start to his eventual downfall.
Spoilers Ahead
How Did Rafeeq Brainwash Zarar?
Zarar was a little boy when he lost his uncle, with whom he was very close. One night, when a communal riot took place in their neighborhood, Zarar’s father’s factory was set ablaze, claiming his uncle’s life. Zarar had never been able to process the trauma, which left a scar in his mind. Therefore, to find some relief, he went to a mosque and sought help from an Islamic radical, Rafeeq, who was in the process of building a group of terrorists to carry out terrorist attacks on innocent Hindu people. Zarar was at the peak of his vulnerable mindset, as he had just faced a huge loss in his life for the first time. Even though his upbringing was good and he came from a very decent family, Zarar didn’t follow the path set by his parents. He began to visit Rafeeq repeatedly, which marked the beginning of his end. Rafeeq took advantage of Zarar’s vulnerability and the growing hate inside his mind against Hinduism, so it was easy for Rafeeq to manipulate Zarar to become an Islamic extremist like him.
Zarar was taught that only by choosing the path of violence, he could express his loyalty to his religious beliefs. Not only Zarar but his little brother Sikku was also groomed by Rafeeq, who made sure that the siblings would grow up to become sociopathic maniacs who wouldn’t hesitate to kill someone. Zarar and Sikku left their home at a young age, when their family went against their violent ideologies and tried to guide them toward the path of decency. Zarar took shelter in Saeed’s place, where he realized that he was also capable of falling in love with someone. After meeting Nafeesa, he started dreaming of starting a family. Zarar wasn’t a bad guy from the start, but he had been transformed into one under Rafeeq’s influence. Somewhere inside his mind, he wanted a fresh start, but the repeated tasks of carrying out blasts occupied his mind, making him more evil. However, against all odds, Zarar kept his promise to Nafeesa and married her, but by marrying her, he was dragging her into trouble. Initially, Zarar considered Nafeesa to be a naive woman who’d be easily brainwashed by him or Rafeeq, but Nafeesa’s change came as a shock to him.
What Happened To Zarar?
Nafeesa, unlike Zarar, was an ordinary human being with compassion and humanity. She was a Muslim woman who knew that the Islamic scripture, the Quran, never talked about being violent against other religions or killing a bunch of innocent people in the name of religion. Most other religious scriptures, like Geeta, or the Bible, the Quran, also talked about peace and harmony, but Zarar was devoid of this knowledge and became blinded by some extremist ideologies. When Nafeesa learned that her husband was not Haider (the fake name Zarar used in Delhi) or an ordinary perfume shop owner, but the most wanted terrorist named Zarar, she was shaken to her core and devastated. But forgetting about all the dreams she had about her family and the unborn child in her womb, she decided to help the Delhi Police catch her husband. When Zarar believed that Nafeesa was too easy to manipulate, he fed her some lies, saying that he was not a terrorist but a decent man; however, Nafeesa didn’t trust him any longer and helped the police finally get a hold of him. With Nafeesa’s help, Delhi Police located Zarar in Dhaka and maintained communication with him. Delhi Police finally arrived in Dhaka, and after a lengthy cat-and-mouse chase, they managed to capture Zarar to finally bring him back to Delhi.
What Would Zarar’s Future Be?
After Zarar’s arrest, the culprit was brought back to the military base so that he could be interrogated for any further leads. But while the authorities were busy chasing Zarar, Rafeeq managed to slip out of the hands of the Delhi Police and make his way to Nepal. Therefore, the journey of the Delhi Police isn’t yet finished. In the concluding scene of Indian Police Force, Zarar didn’t open his mouth regarding their plans of attacks or their upcoming missions, so he was sure to be brought to Delhi prison for some intense interrogation sessions, which might be the highlight of the upcoming season of Indian Police Force. Moreover, we also got a hint that Rafeeq’s location had been tracked down by the officers in Kathmandu, so the Delhi Police might embark on their adventure to Kathmandu to find Rafeeq. In the upcoming season of Indian Police Force, we hope to see a little bit of improvement in the character arcs of both the protagonists and the antagonists. We want intelligent writing and a satisfactory conclusion to these characters’ journey in the upcoming season instead of such melodramatic, half-baked storytelling.
