Sacred Games(Netflix) Review

Sacred Games is the web series adaptation of Vikram Chandra’s novel. It is also Netflix’s first show produced in India. Does it live up to the Netflix’s high benchmarks? Read our review to find out.

Cast: Saif Ali Khan, Nawazuddin Siddique, Radhika Apte, Neeraj Kabi, Aamir Bashir, Kubra Sait
Genre: Crime-Drama
Director: Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane
Produced by: Phantom Films
Network: Netflix
No Of Episodes: 8

Sartaj Singh(Saif Ali Khan) has witnessed a fake encounter carried out by his boss – Parulkar(Neeraj Kabi). He is expected to give a testimony on the case soon. His boss favors Inspector Majid(Aamir Bashir) over him. Sartaj’s father Dilbagh Singh too was a cop. Apart from arresting Sonu – a pickpocket, Sartaj has no achievements to speak of in the last 10 years. His wife has left him. But just when Sartaj thinks his life isn’t going anywhere, he gets a call from Ganesh Gaitonde(Nawaz). Gaitonde is the most dreaded gangster of India & has been on the run for several years. Gaitonde tells Sartaj that his life is about to change & tells him that he knew his father. Gaitonde then goes on to narrate his life story.

In the process he informs that his beloved city – Mumbai will be destroyed in 25 days. But unlike what many might expect on the main protagonists dies towards the end of the first episode itself. But the story continues as the narrative alternates between Gaitonde’s life story & the present day – where the cops, RAW & IB have only 25 days to save the city. Do RAW agent Anjali Mathur(Radhika Apte) & Sartaj Singh manage to save the city? What is the life story of Ganesh Gaitonde? These are the story points which form the narrative of the next 7 episodes.

We started watching the series on Friday – the day it released. As we write this article on Saturday evening, we are two episodes away from completing the first season. Had it not been for the FIFA World Cup & our day job, we couldn’t help but finish the series off yesterday itself! The series is helmed by Anurag Kashyap & stars Saif Ali Khan, Nawazuddin Siddique. All of them have been going through a rough patch as far as their movie careers are concerned. A lot has to do with their brand of cinema & has less to do with their histrionics on screen. They movies largely cater to the urban audiences & that audience is now only on Netflix, Amazon Prime etc. It is a smart move on their part to migrate to Netflix to tell their stories. And boy they don’t disappoint. We have always maintained that Netflix is the best when it comes to drama. Anurag Kashyap & team do live it to the Netflix gold standard. The screenplay, soundtrack, acting all are superb. Anurag has to be lauded for his storytelling – wherein he shows Mumbai through the eyes of Gaitonde – from 1970’s to present day. Saif Ali Khan as the disgruntled cop is good. Neeraj Kabi as his corrupt boss is aptly cast. Kubra Sait does manage to make her presence felt. She carries off her role as the transvestite GF of Gaitonde – Kukoo well(click here to read her interview). Radhika Apte too is convincing, but doesn’t have a meaty role.

Sacred Games is an out & out Nawazuddin Siddique vehicle. He is the one with the author backed role & he is pure magic. Fans of Gang of Wassypur will love him in this one. No one can extract a performance from Nawaz like Anurag does & when they work together they manage to leave us spellbound.

We won’t be shocked if this web series develops a cult status. It will certainly be a big boost to the careers of Saif, Nawaz & Anurag. The golden era of Indian television has begun! Please do not miss watching this it for the world!

Our Rating: (5 / 5)

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