Sacred Games Season 1 (Netflix)

Series Review 

I binged on this one. I do not remember watching any other series with such avidness after Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones. Not only was I hooked on to the format, I was drawn in by the fact that it was so totally Indian.

I am not a lover of violence and gore yet there was something about this riveting fast paced drama showcasing the underworld. 

Though this is a man's world run by dons like Ganesh Gaitonde (played superbly by Nawazuddin Siddiqui), police officers like Parulkar (played capably by Neeraj Kabi), and the protagonist Sartaj Singh, (played by Saif Ali Khan) and assassins like Malcom Murad (played by Luke Kenny), what stands out are the women in the series. They are strong women with a mind of their own. Kukoo, (wonderfully portrayed by Kubra Sait)  stands out as the beautiful dancer who brings magic into Gaitonde's life. This is the first time I have seen a transgender with a meaty role. Anjali Mathur from RAW played effortlessly by Radhika Apte shows a fearless woman while Gaitonde's wife played by Rajshree Deshpande is feisty. 

Though characters like Constable Katekar, Bunty and Nayanika have existed they will be sorely missed.

The movie does not have a linear progression and that is one of the reasons for the Series doing well. There are so many stories left unsaid that the next season is awaited eagerly. I am hoping to see a more mature Sartaj Singh as he has to contend with Parulkar, Gaitonde and Guru ji (Pankaj Tripathi was as usual superb).

The novel by Vikram Chandra does provide the foundation but the building takes on its own form and as a series this will hopefully work well.

Talvar

Movie Review (Hindi)

I was intrigued to see that a director would dare make a movie on a real double murder case and clearly show the lack of evidence which anyway led to a guilty verdict. Meghna Gulzar, the director, has brilliantly executed the happenings of the tragic night and the days that followed, the goof ups by the police and the rivalry within the CBI leading to more goof ups.

 
It is scary to note how the so called law protectors (the police and the CBI) completely lose their game, making the common man's tragedy a humongous one.

I do not understand why the parents of the victim (young Aarushi) should be sentenced to life if the evidence is not concrete. The murder of the household help, Hemraj, also complicates matters. But such is the imbalance of justice. 

The film is fast paced and the director has chosen her actors carefully. Irrfan Khan, Tabu, Konkona Sen Sharma and Neeraj Kabi are really accomplished actors. There is a documentary feel to the movie as if no one knows there is a camera filming their every move. The different versions of the night of the murder is a master stroke.