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A Potpourri of Vestiges Review
By Murtaza Ali Khan
Featured in IMDb Critic Reviews
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| Nawazuddin Siddiqui as Ganesh Gaitonde in the Netflix Original Series ‘Sacred Games' |
Anurag Kashyap’s cinema has always been known for its excesses and the relentless use of expletives. One of the biggest roadblocks for Kashyap over the years has been the Censor Board. But it all changes with Sacred Games as he need not worry about the parochial censorship norms he had to deal with for the last 20 years in the industry, as a writer, director and producer. Now, the first episode of the much awaited Netflix Original Series was recently screen as part of a special premiere in Delhi. And, while watching the episode, the first thing that captured my attention was the unrestrained use of cuss words spoken by the actors. The next obvious thing was of course violence unlike what we get to see in the Hindi movies. In other words, right from the very onset, Anurag Kashyap seemed to be making great use of his hard earned creative licence. One hopes that he will continue to use it to his advantage during the next seven episodes as well.
Coming to the plot of Sacred Games, it can best be described as a cat and mouse game between Ganesh Gaitonde (essayed by Nawazuddin Siddiqui) and Sartaj Singh (essayed by Saif Ali Khan). While the former is a ferocious gangster desperate to make his most deadly move yet, the latter is an honest cop whose honesty has become a thorn in the flesh for his department. After killing a girl in cold blood, a tired-looking Gaitonde calls up Sartaj and begins to narrate his life’s tale. It is a tale that begins with loss of innocence as a young boy is forced to abandon his abode. Thus begins his journey to the heart of darkness which would culminate with him coming face to face with Sartaj, many decades later. One of the most striking aspects of Sacred Games, co-directed by Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane, is its nonlinear structure with the story keep on going back and forth.
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| Saif Ali Khan as Sartaj Singh in the Netflix Original Series ‘Sacred Games' |
There is an interesting sequence wherein a young Gaitonde gets hired at an all-vegetarian Hindu hotel in Mumbai because he is a Brahim, an upper class Hindu. It is here he develops an addiction for Mandrax. But the owner is a mean man. Not only does he not pay him his salary when it is due, he also keeps him on a leash. It is during these early days that Gaitonde gradually begins to turn to the dark side. Now as Gaitonde is narrating his tale to Sartaj, the latter is desperately trying to trace the caller. Initially he mistakes him for a small time criminal but one learning about his true identity he gets the shock of his life. Revealing any further details will spoil the episode for you and so I am refraining from doing the same. Sacred Games seems to have begun on a solid note with the pilot episode perfectly setting the tone of the film. But, a lot of secondary albeit important characters are yet to be introduced. Even Radhika Apte’s character isn’t properly introduced yet. As a matter of fact, she just features in a few scenes of the first episode but one expects that she will gradually emerge as a strong female lead.
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| Radhika Apte in ‘Sacred Games' |
Overall, Sacred Games seems to have all the makings of a great crime thriller series. With Vikram Chandra’s novel as its base material, Sacred Games looks like a clear winner. Going by what the first episode offers one must praise the efforts of the writing team that’s well led by Varun Grover. Apart from the violence and profanity of language another thing that a keen-eyed viewer will observe is how Kashyap manages to bring his new favorite subject, religion, into the mix of things. So beyond the gory façade there will be some strong socio-political commentary to grapple with. My only concern is Kashyap’s tendency of becoming a little preachy as times, as was the case with Mukkabaaz. But, I sincerely hope that Motwane would provide the right kind of balance to Kashyap’s overzealous tendencies. In terms of acting for now it is all about Saif and Siddiqui. While Saif appears a bit subdued Siddiqui is yet again quite over the top. Having been enthralled by the first episode, I am now early looking forward to the remaining episodes. The eight-part series is set to go live from July 6, 2018.
Sacred Games – Official Trailer (YouTube)
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