Prachanda Raj is a superhero from comics who is directly related to the five elements of the earth, i.e., soil, fire, air, water, and sky. Her stories are often set in a time between the mythical atmosphere and the world of fantasy, where kings and emperors, demons, and divine powers are commonly seen. This is why Prachanda’s stories seem a little different and special compared to ordinary superhero comics.
This comic “Chatori” is the sequel to Prachanda’s previous story (possibly “Demon Raj Ajar-Panjar”), i.e., the next part. In the previous story, we had seen how sage Apde had cursed the demon Raj Ajar-Panjar, causing his body to break down. Now, in this new story, it is shown how his wife ‘Chatori’ and his brother-in-law ‘Antabanta’ create an extremely dangerous and scary plan to save him and make him strong again. The whole story is a tremendous blend of revenge, greed, and heroism, which keeps the reader engaged from beginning to end.
Extract, Torture, and End
The story itself begins with a very scary and cruel scene. The people of both the states named Chhodanagar and Pacharpuri are in panic. There is an atmosphere of fear and chaos everywhere. The demon Antabanta, who is the brother-in-law of Ajar-Panjar, is forcefully catching and picking up people.
These innocent human beings are being put into a terrible machine, like a sugarcane crusher, called the ‘Raskatu Yantr’, and their ‘extract’ is being extracted. This scene gives goosebumps while reading. After drinking this human blood and extract, the broken demon Raj Ajar-Panjar gradually starts recovering again, and his lost powers start coming back.
The Sorrow of the Former King:
Former king Dhakka Singh of Chhodanagar, troubled by the incompetence of his sons Dhith and Dhillad and the division of the state, had already gone into exile. But when he returns after a long time, the scene that comes before him is extremely sad. Both the states are completely destroyed. There is silence all around. Later, he comes to know that all the people have fled due to fear of the terror of Antabanta. Dhakka Singh deeply regrets knowing that his sons could not protect their own people.
Prachanda’s Entry:
Prachanda comes forward to stop these atrocities. Equipped with the power of the Pancha elements, Prachanda gives a direct challenge to Antabanta. There is a tremendous and exciting fight between the two. Antabanta fully demonstrates his heavy mace and demonic strength, but Prachanda, who is the master of elements such as wind, fire, and soil, overshadows him.
Prachanda uses her fire power to burn Antabanta’s hand and beats him severely. It seems that now the end of Antabanta is near, but then he makes a move and somehow escapes from there, or at least appears so.
Conspiracy of Ajar-Panjar and Chatori:
Antabanta runs away to his brother-in-law Ajar-Panjar and gives him all the information about Prachanda. Ajar-Panjar, who has now become powerful to a great extent by drinking human extract, makes up his mind to take revenge on Prachanda. His wife Chatori, whose name reflects her fondness for food and taste, also continues to provoke him and supports him in making this conspiracy even more dangerous.
Executioner and Kakrocha:
In this story, two more extremely scary monsters appear—Jallad and Kakrocha.
Executioner:
The Executioner is a giant and extremely cruel demon, whom Ajar-Panjar has specially summoned. There is a fierce and powerful wrestling match between Prachanda and the Executioner. The Executioner tries to imprison Prachanda in an iron cage with his immense power. But Prachanda, with the help of his earth power, transforms himself into a giant and breaks the entire cage. This scene clearly shows Prachanda’s strength and his connection with the five elements.
Kakrocha:
Kakrocha is Chatori’s pet and a very strange kind of creature. It resembles a large cockroach, which can also fly and is adept at attacking with its sharp limbs. Chatori takes it out of a box. Kakrocha attacks Prachanda suddenly, but Prachanda, with his quickness and power, throws him into the air and puts an end to him. Kakrocha’s death deeply shocks Chatori, and she swears that she will definitely take revenge on Prachanda.
Climax:
In the last part of the story, Prachanda makes a direct attack on the fortress of Ajar-Panjar, called Raskatu Castle. Once there, he sees how innocent people are being brutally ground in the machine. Seeing this sight, his anger reaches the seventh heaven. Prachanda uses all his strength to uproot the Raskatu Yantra and throw it away.
This is followed by a final and decisive battle between Ajar-Panjar and Prachanda. Ajar-Panjar gives all his remaining strength, but he cannot stand in front of the blows of Prachanda’s five elements—fire, air, and earth. At last, Prachanda buries him under a mountain, or rather crushes him with a mountain and kills him forever.
Chatori’s ending is also shown to be extremely dramatic. Her same tongue, which was always yearning for taste and food, ultimately becomes the cause of her end. Probably, she too is killed in the grip of this fierce battle.
In the end, Raja Dhakka Singh and his sons, who have now learned from their mistakes, thank Prachanda wholeheartedly. The subjects return to their homes again, and peace is restored. Prachanda then sets off on his next journey.
Character Analysis
Prachanda (Prachanda):
Prachanda is a classic Indian superhero whose powers are directly linked to nature. He is not only powerful but also a hero with strong moral values. When he sees that Antabanta is oppressing unarmed and innocent people, his blood boils. His dialogues are heavy and full of heroic essence, like—“I am your death, Antabanta!” This dialogue makes his personality more impressive.
Ajar-Panjar and Antabanta:
Both of them are the main villains of this comic. On hearing their names, a little humor arises—‘ajar-panjar’, i.e., one with a loose body, and ‘antabanta’, i.e., chubby. But their actions, especially extracting human extracts, are extremely cruel and scary. This contradiction between their names and deeds makes the story more interesting.
Chatori:
Chatori is the main female villainess of this comic. Her name itself suggests that she likes the taste of strange and scary things, such as human blood or extracts. She constantly provokes her husband, Ajar-Panjar. Her attachment to Kakrocha is a strange but memorable aspect of her character.
Raja Dhakka Singh and Sons:
Raja Dhakka Singh and his sons provide comic relief as well as a moral message in the story. Dhakka Singh’s sons’ names—Dhith and Dhillad—by themselves show how useless they were earlier. But they reform by the end of the story, which shows that a person can change after making mistakes.
Art and Portraiture
Milind and Praveen Gursale’s artwork is a fine example of the classic style of 90s Raj Comics. The panels created by them completely reveal the identity of that era, where drama and energy are clearly visible in every scene.
Depicting Violence:
The ‘Raskatu Yantra’ scenes of grinding humans and showing blood filling buckets are quite graphic and scary. All this clearly reflects the dark tone of the comics of that time, where the fight between good and evil was shown without much concealment.
Action Scenes:
Prachanda flying in the air, swinging the mace, and picking up and throwing demons— all these panels look very dynamic. The use of colors, especially red, yellow, and green, is very bright, making the action more effective.
Design of Monsters:
Both the Executioner and Kakrocha have fairly imaginative designs. Especially portraying Kakrocha as a huge and scary insect reflects the creative thinking of the artists, which remains in the reader’s mind for a long time.
Highlights and Messages of the Story
End of Evil:
The basic message of the story is the same classic one—evil, no matter how powerful, like Ajar-Panjar, who becomes powerful by drinking human extract, ultimately has to be defeated by goodness, i.e., Prachanda.
Nature’s Power:
Prachanda’s character gives a clear message that nature and the five elements are the greatest powers. If humans stand with nature, no force can defeat them easily.
Strength in Unity:
The eventual reform and coming together of Raja Dhakka Singh’s sons teaches that the real strength of the family and the entire kingdom lies in unity.
Critical Approach
Positive:
The pace of the story is quite fast, due to which the reader does not feel bored at any point.
Villains like Ajar-Panjar and Chatori are very different and worth remembering.
Prachanda’s powers have been demonstrated very effectively.
Negative:
The level of violence in the story, especially scenes such as extracting human extracts, can be a little too scary for children.
A lack of logic is also felt. From a scientific perspective, it seems a bit strange that humans gain strength by drinking extract, but since it is a fantasy comic, it can be ignored.
Conclusion
“Chatori” is an entertaining and action-packed story from Raj Comics, which is nothing less than a feast for Prachanda’s fans. There is magic, there are demons, there is bravery, and there is also a little humor. The pairing of Ajar-Panjar and Chatori makes this comic even more special.
If you like the simplicity and straightforward action of 90s Indian comics, then you must read this comic. It reminds one of a time when stories were simple— the hero would come, beat the villain, and everything would be fine in the end.
Rating: 3.5/5
(For entertaining villains and great action)
