Mani Teja Pagidimarri

Sacred Games. Netflix's first original Indian web series is Masala Chai but made for the international audience. Prepared with Indian ingredients of flavour, colour and emotion, steamed in western production values and tautly served like a thriller should be. Adapted from the book by Vikram Chandra, it is actually a sprawling autobiography of the fascinating city called Bombay, Mumbai for us Millennials. Religious, political and economic developments in India during the 80s and 90s intertwine with the characters’ lives but thankfully do not deviate attention of the viewer from what it is-A Crime Thriller. It is fascinating to see, that given time, in the module of a web series, how actors can flesh out the range of their character and display nuances of their acting unlikely to be seen in a 2 hr movie. Nawazuddin as Gaitonde, the aspiring businessman turned ganglord and wannabe God, is absolutely brilliant and effortless as always. He conveys pain and joy, determination and arrogance, vulnerability and invincibility in every scene he is. Saif Ali Khan as Sartaj, the righteous underperforming cop trying to uphold his father's ideals among the dubious people he is working with, is fantastic. You feel sympathy at his plight, proud of his principles and anger at his lack of ruthlessness. He is such an underrated and overlooked actor. Primarily though, this series is triumph to three things. First, the awesome supporting cast and their superlative acting. An opportunistic RAW agent, a religiously charged sidekick, a fiery female restaurant owner, an immoral police commissioner and one more character who Gaitonde loves and affects him in a profound way. Secondly, Gaitonde’s dialogue is “colourful” to lay the least. Only in Hindi can you convey the deepest of meanings and propagate wisdom in the filthiest of words! Thirdly, the perfect background music. It just elevates the tension and intensifies the scene. Watch It. Relish It. Appreciate it. Spoiler Alert: Ends with an unsolved riddle and the clock still ticking.. Sacred Games will continue