Blood of the Kali Ma for everyone! An ode to Mola Ram

Greetings Wanderers! There's nothing I enjoy more in a story then a devilish fiend of a villain. The following post is dedicated to the first movie fiend to ever scare the living bejesus out of me! Was it Freddy? No Was it Jason? afraid not! Was it leather face? Should have been but no........

                                                  It was this menacing chap right here! Mola Goddamn Ram! *DISCLAIMER* Goddamn isn't Mola's middle name. Then again I'm not sure if his name is in fact Mola or if Mola is like reverend or minister in the thugge circles. Will Wikipedia this later on...*END DISCLAIMER*

That's right folks, it was the antagonist from Indiana Jones in the Temple of Doom who first gave your three eyed master the willies! Just look at what's resting on the dude's head! A cowskull with a shrunken human head resting on top. Thus guy means business! Going to confess that this dude still appears in my nightmares from time to time, true story! 

*PHOTO-DSICLAIMER* If we're telling true stories here on the 13th Floor I should probably mention that it was the shaman from earliar in the film that first gave me the willies. After learning that he's a shaman with a heart of gold the willies wore off but still, creepy looking dude *END PHOTO-DISCLAIMER*

Okay enough about the spooky shaman. Its time to discuss the Darth Vader of the Indiana Jones series.  In my own twisted opinion Mola Ram (portrayed by Bollywood legend Amrish Puri) was Indy's greatest and most fierce adversary.  

 

Think about it, mean old Mr. Ram here had the black magic voodoo the Nazis so desperately tried rto obtain in the other two films, coursing through his blackened veins. This dude was raised on the black magic voodoo y'all! Yeah Yeah I hear all of you Jonsers out there muttering under your breath "Belloq's Indy's greatest villan" Bet you didn't know I can read your minds *DISCLAIMER* I can't....yet *END DISCLAIMER* So riddle me this. Could Belloq.......

 

Rip out a still beating heart

 with his bare hands all the while keeping his victim alive with the power of the "kali ma", only so they can experience the full on hell of being lowered into a pit of lava? Could he? Huh? Huh?.....didn't think so.

Mola also possessed an inventive and devilishly clever approach to recruiting folks into his thugee super army. Before I continue with this I feel I should explain a little something about the thugee cult.

The Thuggees were a group of rascally thieves and assasins who terrorized India for six hundred years. Their victims were offered up as human sacrfices to the hindu goddess Kali. Their unholky hijinks are GREATLY exaggerated in Temple of Doom, but hey that's Hollywood for ya in all of its wonderful glory. Anyhoo back to how Mola Ram gets new "blood"into his cult*DISCLAIMER* Why blood is in quotation marks is an indication that its the build up to a lame Jonser pun *END DISCLAIMER* This Kooky knucklehead  in a cowskull crown is a bit of an apothecary. 

 

Mola Ram has brewed a special potion which he calls "the blood of the Kali ma" which can turn even the most badass archeologist into a card carrying thuggee.  Ole Mola is no one trick pony! 

 

I mentioned above that Mola Ram has haunted my subconscious all these many years. Even though Temple of Doom isn't a horror film per se it still gave my adolescent self a proper spooking. A spooking that I loved with every fiber of my being and I cite it as the film that helped me evolve into the horror fiend I am today. The horror flicks that always scare and interest me the most are the ones dealing with supernatural evil and the going ons of evil cults and it was this very flick that started it all for me. 

Even while writing this post I fear I have a Mola Ram induced nightmare heading my way. Kali be with you, you wonderfully evil bastard!