Sacred Games Season One Review: The Netflix Show Delivers A Powerful Binge-Watch With Excellent Performances From Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Saif Ali Khan

Sacred Games is a game-changer for Bollywood, and I am thankful for the people behind this project for making this happen. Based on author Vikram Chandra's sprawling 900-page best-seller by the same name, the first season of the series has just made its debut on the streaming service Netflix. Sacred Games is helmed by Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane, and stars Saif Ali Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Radhika Apte. Here's our review of the first eight episodes of the show (there will be some minor SPOILERS ahead, so tread carefully) -

A Mumbai-based cop Sartaj Singh (Saif Ali Khan) is disillusioned with the morally ambiguous nature of his colleagues and can't adjust with how the system bends to serve the selfish motives of the powerful. One night, he gets a strange call from a mysterious person, who tells him his life is in danger. As the caller narrates his story, Sartaj realises this man is none other than the notorious gangster Ganesh Gaitonde (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), who has been eluding the law for years. Gaitonde tells him there is a special connection between them, and that Sartaj has 25 days to save this city from being destroyed. By the time, Sartaj manages to trace Gaitonde, he commits suicide in front of him. It is up to the cop to figure out why the gangster chose him to share his secret and then killed himself.

Also thrown in the mix is Anjali Mathur (Radhika Apte), a RAW officer who is after the counterfeit money ISIS is bringing in the country and feels Gaitonde's death has something to do with it. BTW, this all happens in just the first episode!

I regret having missed the opportunity of not reading Vikram Chandra's book, despite being an obsessive bibliophile, before getting on to watch the series. Sure, by not doing so saves me from the various surprises the makers throw at us. I really want to know if the show has done justice to the epic scope of the book (or the half of it). However, without any tool for comparison, I can say with assurance that Motwane and Kashyap have passed the test with flying colours.

For Sacred Games is an awesome show that relentlessly throws at you so many twists and interesting subplots, that you will end up watching the whole season at a go. It could be our answer to Narcos, benefitting greatly from excellent direction, terrific writing (Varun Grover, Smita Singh and Vasant Nath) and fantastic performances from nearly everyone in the cast.

Balancing two parallel threads that have their own multiple subplots is not an easy task, but Sacred Games manages to pull it off with great success. The first thread is that of the rise of Gaitonde from being a runaway Brahmin boy who finds his religion in Mumbai to becoming the 'God' of the city. It is this narrative that gives Sacred Games its epic feel, as with Gaitonde's rise, we also get to see how Bombay becomes Mumbai through its highs and lows. There are many moments to savour here, even if some of the gangster situations seem familiar (Gaitonde's rivalry with another don, Isa, looks inspired by the infamous Arun Gawli - Dawwod Ibrahim feud). The whole thread feels like Kashyap and Motwane wants to go Gangs of Wasseypur in Mumbai, though with less of that famous black humour.

What also works here is the excellent characterisation of Gaitonde. Nawazuddin Siddiqui is on fine form here, as he seamlessly slips into the skin of the don, whose actions leave us both in awe and in disgust. Gaitonde is an enigma, and we are hooked to his every nuance, whether he has to show his softer side (reserved for the two loves of his life) or when he gets into wanton violence. Though he perceives himself as Mahabharata's Ashwattama, a man cursed not to die, the series makes him the Brahma (Creator), Vishnu (Preserver) and Rudra (Destroyer). Speaking of which, you can draw quite a lot of inferences from our mythologies in the series. There is even a scene where characters debate over the fluidity of Valmiki's Ramayana and the simplification of the same by the late Ramanand Sagar through his TV series.

The second thread delivers on the thriller part as Sartaj races against time to save his city, while trying to figure out the mystery behind Gaitonde's connection with him. Saif Ali Khan gives an understated, nearly-flawless performance in the role. His Sartaj Singh is an unusual cop when it comes to Bollywood standards - even though he wants to do the right thing, he has trouble standing up to the high-handedness of his own colleagues. He is also not a very good cop, per se, as he is inept at some of the police duties (like going stealth). Even his do-goodness is sometimes compromised by his opportunism. All this helps in making Sartaj a flawed, ordinary human who is still the better of the lot, compared to the rest of the characters. Radhika Apte is good as always, though her character has comparatively less to do. It is only towards the final episodes that she manages to come out strong and show some badassery.

It is in making both the threads engaging and seamlessly interwoven, where lies the victory of the makers. Sacred Games also takes advantage of the lack of censorship on Netflix, as there are several scenes of (sometimes full frontal) nudity, violence and rampant swearing. The series also boasts of a fine supporting cast like Neeraj Kabi, Pankaj Tripathy, Girish Kulkarni, Luke Kenny etc who all deliver what's expected from them. But it is the lesser known players like Jitendra Joshi, Sukhmani Sadana, Rajshri Deshpande, Jatin Sarna and Kubra Sait who leave a much bigger impact.

Any flaws? Like some of the Netflix shows, there is some bloat in the proceedings in the middle episodes. Also, there are plenty of loopholes and contrived drama. Some of the scenes feel repetitive and predictable. There are quite a few twists that are hinted early on, and we wish that the writers could have made them less obvious (like for example, the plight of a character called Trivedi).

However, Sacred Games ends its first season on a truly shocking note, leaving us desperately in wait for the second season.

Final thoughts

Despite those unassuming trailers, Motwane and Kashyap deliver their most ambitious project in Sacred Games, with plenty of help from the wide scope and freedom given by Netflix. The writing is strong and delivers enough surprises, while the performances are top-notch. Sacred Games is one of the best web-series produced in India, if not the best. Can't wait to watch the second season.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 07, 2018 09:43 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).