Sacred Games

Sacred Games is a gripping web series that reveals the dark underbelly of Mumbai, filled with crime and high-stakes politics. Based on Vikram Chandra's novel, the series features a relentless cop and a ruthless gangster at its core. The cast includes illustrious talent such as Saif Ali Khan as Sartaj Singh, the seasoned police officer, Nawazuddin Siddiqui as Ganesh Gaitonde, the notorious gangster, and Radhika Apte as Anjali Mathur, the determined RAW Analyst. As India's first Netflix original, Sacred Games offers an epic tale of love, deception, and peril, setting a new benchmark for Indian web television.

India's first original Netflix series, Sacred Games opens up an entirely new dimension for Indian web television, raising the bar high for any successors. With its riveting storyline, spellbinding performances, and subversive social commentary, "Sacred Games" is a compelling triumph destined to etch its name in the annals of web television.

Table Of Contents

• Details

• Plot

• Release Date

• Episodes

• Reviews

• Cast

• Crew

• Character Analysis

• Behind The Scenes

• Controversy

• Spoilers

• Awards

• Review

• How to Book a Personalised Celebrity Message?

Details

Plot

Play

Sacred Games is a thrilling tale set in the bustling city of Mumbai revolving around Sartaj Singh (Saif Ali Khan), a troubled police officer, and Ganesh Gaitonde (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), a legendary but missing crime lord. Out of the blue, Sartaj receives a mysterious call from Gaitonde warning him to save the city within 25 days. This puzzling call kick-starts a chain of events that entangle Sartaj in the murky underworld of the city.

In his quest to crack this puzzle, Sartaj is assisted by Anjali Mathur (Radhika Apte), an officer from the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). The series also explores the rise of Gaitonde from humble beginnings to becoming the city's mafia king through a series of flashbacks.

Sacred Games Season 2

In the second season, Sartaj's journey takes him deeper as he discovers an ashram his father used to belong to and the harrowing plans it has for a new world order. Meanwhile, Gaitonde's backstory furthers as we learn about his association with the ashram and his encounters with a RAW officer, Kusum Devi Yadav, who manipulates him for her own gains. The season also unravels how a dangerous extremist with a plan to wreak havoc in India is connected to this complex web of intrigue.

Release

Sacred Games, the riveting Indian crime-thriller web television series, made its debut on the streaming platform Netflix.The first season was released worldwide on July 6, 2018. After the success of the initial season, the second season was released a year later on August 15, 2019.

Sacred Games Cast

Crew

• Director - Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane, & Neeraj Ghaywan

• Producer - Vikramaditya Motwane, Kelly Luegenbiehl, & Erik Barmack

• Cinematographer - Swapnil S. Sonawane, Sylvester Fonseca, & Aseem Bajaj

• Music - Alokananda Dasgupta

• Production House - Phantom Films, Reliance Entertainment

• Composer - Phenom, Divine, Rachita Arora

• Editor - Aarti Bajaj

• Written by - Varun Grover, Vasant Nath, Smita Singh, Prakhar Sharma, Dhruv Narang, Nihit Bhave, & Pooja Tolani

Character Analysis

Ganesh Gaitonde

A gangster that has put an entire city's fate in danger, Ganesh Gaitonde is a character whose history and origins have been explored in great detail. He becomes the most wanted man in Mumbai because of his ambitions and is also the owner of his notorious business venture G-Company. 

Inspector Sartaj Singh

A troubled police inspector who is shunned in his own department and despises the corruption in the system, Sartaj Singh is anything but a celebrated cop. The case with Gaitonde helps him become brave and bold and find his own voice as he tries to save one of the country's most important cities.

Bunty

Bunty plays Ganesh Gaitonde's right-hand man and is shown to be as intense and cruel as Gaitonde, if not more. He has extensive knowledge of war and gun-related matters in the underworld, and he uses them to wreak havoc on Gaitonde's enemies.

Anjali Mathur

A dedicated and talented RAW agent that helps Siraj's efforts to figure out Ganesh Gaitonde's plan, Anjali Mathur is one of the best-portrayed characters in the show. She constantly faces discrimination in the government and her own agency but fights through it all to unleash the underworld's plans.

Behind The ScenesPlay

Kashyap directed scenes pertaining to Ganesh Gaitonde's track, while Motwane focused on Sartaj's present-day scenes. The series was filmed on location in Mumbai, capturing the city's raw spirit and adding to the realistic atmosphere. A video that is shot during the cast's wardrobe fitting and photoshoot shows how the characters are adapting to attire from the 70s. Saif Ali Khan, Kalki Koechlin, and Nawazuddin Siddiqui, in particular, are seen having fun while shooting in their retro clothes.

Controversy

A politician in West Bengal filed a complaint against Saif Ali Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui for insulting former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. A Delhi court replied to this petition and explained that actors could not be held responsible for dialogues. Another politician had also written to the Delhi High Court seeking the removal of all scenes that mentioned Rajiv Gandhi. 

Spoilers

The final episode titled, Radcliffe, starts with Shahid Khan at his residence in Pakistan. The story leaps back to Partition in 1947, with a Sikh family trying to cross the border, inadvertently leaving their daughter behind -- she later becomes Shahid Khan's mother. Adding a twist, it's revealed that Sartaj Singh and Shahid Khan are related. Various theories connect this situation to a story narrated by Guruji about the battle between Demons and Demigods, drawing parallels between Sartaj's father and Kacha, who was a spy in enemy territory. It's speculated that Sartaj's father might have had a hidden motive within the Ashram, similar to Kacha's mission in the story. Whether Sartaj succeeds in defusing the bomb and the validity of these theories remain unconfirmed unless a third season is announced.

Review

Audience Review

The viewers laud the stellar performances of the actors, particularly Nawazuddin Siddiqui for bringing life to the character of Gaitonde, and Saif Ali Khan for his commendable comeback in a no-nonsense role. The show is applauded for its unexpected twists, intense action sequences, and hard-hitting dialogues, creating an engaging storyline.

Several users comment on the show's authenticity, specifically praising the original, Indian language version overdubbed versions. However, there are some critics who felt the second season did not live up to the high standards set by the first one, with a few pointing out the rushed nature of the final episode, dissatisfaction with certain character arcs, and the unexpected transition from a gangster narrative to a focused narrative on faith and spirituality.

Regardless, many viewers are calling for a third season, looking forward to the continuation of this thrilling storyline. The series has an overall positive reception, with its blend of political, crime, and suspense-thriller elements greatly admired by the audience.

Tring Review

The characters, especially Sartaj Singh and Gaitonde, grabbed our attention right away. Their depth and development, enhanced by superb performances by Saif Ali Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui, kept us on our toes through it all. Not to forget the incredible supporting cast like Pankaj Tripathi as Guruji!

The storyline? A solid mix of crime, politics, and religious themes, full of unexpected twists. Yet, we did feel the shift into mysticism in the second season was quite a leap from the gangster drama vibes of the first season.

The cinematography was striking, and the suspenseful background score kept the adrenaline pumping. The ending left us craving for more, and we’re all fingers crossed for a third season.

Tring Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

Awards

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