The late 80s and the early 90s was a time in Indian history defined by riots and bombings, tussles over mandir and masjid, the rise of Hindutva as a political tool and so on. Smugglers and dons held sway over Mumbai and the city bore the brunt of the conflict, with the riots and the subsequent blasts changing the character of the city forever. It is this Mumbai of corrupt cops, slimy politicians, shady underworld dons, that is showcased in the first few episodes of Sacred Games, the first Netflix original series from India. Sacred Games delves into the city’s intricate web of organized crime, corruption, politics and espionage that lie beneath the image of India’s rise as an economic powerhouse. Saif Ali Khan plays Sartaj Singh, a cop with a broken family and a middling career, whose life changes, when he receives a call from an underworld don, Ganesh Gaitonde, essayed brilliantly by Nawazuddin Siddiqui. The series follows two timelines, one set in 2014, where Sartaj with the help of his trusted aide Katekar, and RAW agent Anjali Mathur (Radhika Apte) try to stop the destruction of Mumbai; and another which focuses on the rise of Gaitonde, from a toddy salesman to the don of Mumbai. It is helmed by directors Vikramaditya Motwane and Anurag Kashyap.
The plot and the characters differ significantly from the book, and the action is much more fast-paced and rushed. Gaitonde seems more menacing, and more focused on his goal of emerging as the top dog in the battle for Mumbai. Nawazuddin is excellent in his portrayal of Gaitonde and brings in the grey shades to his character. He makes you invested in the evolution of the gangster and keeps the audience on tenterhooks about his next move. His relationship with God and religion is also explored well, as is his gameplan of displacing the incumbent mafia boss, Suleiman Isa.
In the parallel timeline, Saif Ali Khan is on the money as the hassled Sartaj but remains a character who is hard to empathise with. His reactions to specific situations, such as throwing a plate in rage at home or moping around in the city at night in his car make it hard to connect with him. The fact that his issues with his wife and superior officers are hardly explored also adds to the disconnect. His sidekick Katekar, seen as someone who struggles to maintain work-life balance is far more relatable. Issues the police force grapples with, including the spectre of fake encounters, the toxic mix of mafia and high end corruption is also showcased and draws a parallel to another Netflix series, Narcos, where the drug lords try to buy out the state.
Religion and the city of Mumbai are characters in their own right. The religiosity of the masses is mocked at by Gaitonde, the fact that the G company is ‘secular’ is constantly emphasised, and there are plenty of references to the craze over Ramayana and the rise of Hindutva in the late 80s. The Bofors scandal, the corruption in Indian public life, and the communal tinderbox also make an appearance. Religious symbols are much more pronounced in the series, unlike the book where religion is always in the background. In one of the stand-out scenes, a group of characters, playing gods on television gulp down Apna Cola, a soft drink promoted by Gaitonde, for a TV commercial, even as the don indulgently looks on. Mumbai appears dark and menacing in both timelines. I quite enjoyed the setting, of the neon-lit shady dance bars of the 80s. Radhika Apte seems fairly settled in her role as the RAW operative, facing up gender stereotypes and focussing on the task at hand.
The series scores on the screenplay and writing, and despite marked changes from the book, keeps you engaged. The scenes are short, cliffhangers are aplenty and there is enough to keep the viewer hooked. However, the assembly line of starlets constantly being harassed by the dons and their henchmen was a little repetitive and could have been awvoided. With its multiple story arcs, the massive cast of characters and parallel storylines, the first few episodes of Sacred Games seem to be hit the sweet spot.
All episodes of Sacred Games premiere on Netflix today.