An Exclusive Review Of The Much Popular ‘Sacred Games’

An Exclusive Review Of The Much Popular ‘Sacred Games’

Very few stories that we come across these days captivate the audience from the very beginning. ‘Sacred Games’, originally a 1000 page novel written by the soft spoken, Vikram Chandra and recently adapted into the first Indian Netflix original by Anurag Kashyap and  Vikramaditya Motwane is one such series that held the viewer’s attention from the first scene.

The show begins with a daring and an unapologetic dialogue “Do you believe in God? God doesn’t care.” As the show progresses, we see the protagonist, Sartaj Singh, a cynical, law abiding, hardened police officer, living under the shadow of his deceased father, acting upon an anonymous tip. Played by Saif Ali Khan, Singh then proceeds to uncover the mysterious attacks planned for the city of Mumbai.

The series gives out a vibe similar to Anurag Kashyap’s other works. It aims to portray the issues of urban India and the working social class to the common public in a manner that appeals to them. It covers religion, violence, criminal activity of the underworld and terrorism in a very Mumbai mafia-style way that the audience is familiar with. Even if it depicts the events of the book in a skillful manner, the series falls prey to the trap most adaptations face; it fails to capture the multi-layered sub plots and the complex personal situations the characters find themselves in.

The story depicts the conflict of Inspector Sartaj Singh, and how it costs him to be on the right side of the law. His immaculate moral compass adversely affects his professional career as well as his personal life. One of the most visible contrasts of the show is between him and the antagonist of the story Ganesh Gaitonde, played by the charismatic Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Out of the many remarkable aspects of the show, the most notable work was done by Siddiqui in his portrayal of a notorious gangster who haunts the protagonist. Since it’s familiar territory for Siddique, he pulls off the character with ease. The equally talented Radhika Apte plays Anjali Mathur, a perceptive and ambitious RAW agent. After Siddiquie and Saif Ali Khan, actor Kubbra Sait is the most talked about member of the cast. She played the role of Cuckoo, a transsexual cabaret dancer and received a vast amount of praise for her job.

The book won the Vodafone Crossword Book Award in 2006;however, the TV show gained recognition for being the first Indian origin Netflix show, the star cast as well as due to the directors and the writers of the show, Varun Grover and Vasant Nath.

In all, the series was well presented by the directors, and portrayed in a manner that the audience has come to become comfortable with. The show exhibits a certain exotic charm for the city of Mumbai that appeals to a larger, international mass as well. It is a must watch for people, who enjoy a gripping and interesting storyline that will keep them hooked. It gives an interesting insight about the gritty underworld and criminal activities of the Indian mafia; it also trudges along the sensitive areas of religious beliefs, caste systems and the plight of the working social class citizens to international terrorism.