Extravagant equipment such flying capes, shooting webs, night vision goggles, and flying hats. All of this represents the archetypal Western superhero. Superheroes are useless, though, if you can't connect with them. In his suggested superhero graphic novel, Hyderabad-based new media designer Mehdi Saajid seeks to answer this very issue.
His character NinjaBee, a hijab-clad ninja with superpowers, is an effort to highlight the diversity in the nation. The planned graphic novel, NinjaBee, honours Muslim women and is based on Hyderabad's Deccan cultural history. The new media artist is familiar with the art scene in Hyderabad. At the Utopian Dystopia exhibition in kochi last year, one of his earlier creations, a new media geometric art piece titled The Royal house of Mourning, was on display.

The Baadshahi Ashoorkhana in hyderabad served as inspiration for this. The plot of Mehdi's graphic novel is on the life of Niloufer, who possesses both ninja-like talents and beelike behavioural qualities, making her a "NinjaBee." Mehdi remembers that many hijab-wearing women are mockingly referred to as "Ninjas" at schools and universities while discussing how he named his character. "Even one of my friends was called the same," he claimed.

He makes an effort to defy this description through his graphic novel by making the "ninja" allusion into a strength. The setting of the tale, Old City, perfectly captures the city's rich cultural legacy. Mehdi thinks that the city provides him with an opportunity for contrast since it has the ideal balance of heritage and modernity. He claimed that since he is from the same place and culture, it is simpler for him to understand its nuances.

Mehdi's 'NinjaBee' maintains a double life, much like many other superheroes do. She studies Unani medicine while she isn't out in the city taking down criminals. Mehdi decided on Unani as his superhero's field of study because of its connections to Urdu, Muslim culture, and Hyderabad. Unani has never had a voice as an alternative medical practise, he claimed. Mehdi's graphic novel was inspired by the underrepresentation of Muslim women in popular culture. What little portrayal there is of them is quite stereotyped, he said.
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Hyderabad Superhero

G GOWTHAM

27/05/2023 09:14 AM