Special Ops 1.5 Review: Ha, it is refreshing to have a series based on terrorism that doesn't get into religious debate or has this silly 'Good Muslim/Bad Muslim' conversations. Neeraj Pandey's Special Ops is a decent enough series filled with plentiful of twists and has Disney+ Hotstar's equivalent of Srikanth Tiwari in Kay Kay Menon's shrewd, committed RAW officer Himmat Singh. And in an interesting twist to the series' continuation, we get Special Ops 1.5, also directed by Pandey, that is about how Himmat Singh became, well, Himmat Singh. Okay, shouldn't the title be Special Ops 0.5 or Special Ops Origins, or something? Special Ops 1.5: Kay Kay Menon Says He Wants to Have All Characteristics of Himmat Singh From the Disney+ Hotstar Show.

So the story of Himmat Singh unfolds when the man is due for evaluation near his retirement and the evaluators (Parmeet Sethi and Kali Prasad Mukherjee) questions Singh's subordinate Abbas Sheikh (Vinay Pathak) about his boss. This narrative device has its drawbacks, like managing the disbelief of how Abbas knows the intricacies of a usually secretive Himmat's various missions, despite not being physically present for most of them. But the KGF narration device also allows us more of Vinay Pathak to shine and when is that ever a problem?

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As for Himmat's backstory, it has its highs and lows. Speaking of highs, let's start with the best of them all - Kay Kay Menon. It is always a pleasure to see this man being unwavering in his craft and his commitment to the role is just top class. Even though I am not a fan of whatever is done to his face to make it look younger, as if someone scrubbed it to look weirdly smooth, Menon's dedication in the more physically taxing roles does make him look more believable for the age-period that the show goes into. As for his acting, well, even the weaker scenes are easily uplifted by the mere rising of his eye-brows. OTT Releases of the Week: KayKay Menon’s Special Ops 1.5 and Nivin Pauly’s Kanakam Kaamini Kalaham on Disney+ Hotstar, Dwayne Johnson’s Red Notice on Netflix & More.

Apart from Menon's performances, what works for Special Ops 1.5 is the pacing and the cinematography. Even though the ambition is lesser compared to the previous season - after all, this is a contained origin story - the series moves at relentless pacing, while also providing some nice overhead shots through various locales, both desi and videshi.

The writing, however, is more of a mixed bag. There are some good surprises, like the twists around the character of Saroja (a graceful Gautami Kapoor) and Himmat's love-life. However, there are times when the screenplay gets repetitive and lazy, like the frequent usage of honeypotting and the similar fates of the victims. The purpose of Himmat's new mission - to track Maninder (Aadil Khan), a former aide gone rogue - feels similar to Pandey's own Aiyaary. The writing around Aftab Shivdasani's Vijay Kumar character also felt weak and predictable, despite the self-awareness shown around his eventual fate. That said, the humour is sharp and witty when it arrives. Like when Abbas insists on telling his story in the right order, one of the evaluators quip that even the government likes to have things in 'chronology'!

Yay!

- Kay Kay Menon

- The Making

- A Couple of Good Surprises

Nay!

- Writing is Average At Times

- Some of the Supporting Characters are Under-Served

Final Thoughts

If you are a fan of Special Ops, Himmat Singh's origin story won't disappoint you. Decent in its making and benefiting from a solid performance from its lead star, this spinoff 4-episode series thrills enough to make you wonder where Himmat will go next. Special Ops 1.5 is streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.

Rating:3.0

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 12, 2021 11:51 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).