Sacred Games is an Indian web television series by Netflix based on Vikram Chandra’s 2006 thriller novel Sacred Games. The series was produced in partnership with Phantom Films. All eight hour-long episodes are directed by Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane, who are co-founders of Phantom Films. The production wrapped on 28 January 2018, with first look released on 23 February 2018. The show is one of the seven Netflix Indian Originals in production. the series garnered considerable attention as soon as the trailer dropped.
The story is set in Mumbai, Sacred Games tells the story of Sartaj Singh (Saif Ali Khan), a jaded cop living under the shadow of his deceased father and seeking validation from a police force he nevertheless loathes for its corruption. When Singh receives an anonymous tip-off regarding the whereabouts of Ganesh Gaitonde (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), a notorious crime lord who has been missing for 16 years, it sets the wheels in motion for a chain of events that burrows deep into India’s dark underworld
Cast – Saif Ali Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Radhika Apte, Neeraj Kabi, Aamir Bashir, Pankaj Tripathi
“This guy lives a sad life, he lives alone, He’s addicted to sleeping pills in the day just to stay calm,” said Saif Ali Khan. In this interview with NDTV, Saif speaks about his character, the new trend of web shows and how these platforms will not be a threat to cinema halls.
WhileRadhika has a brief role to play in the first episode, Saif and Nawazzudin shine as the apparent protagonist and the antagonist respectively.
As far as the performances are concerned, we see an angry Saif Ali Khan who is upset about the corruption that has seeped into the system. His personal life is on the rocks and his career too hangs by a thin rope. Saif’s Sartaj is caught in a dilemma and his performance conveys it quite effectively. Nawazuddin’s Gaitonde appears to be a psychopath, the kind who can kill without guilt and move on like nothing ever happened.
Netflix has become a prominent destination when it comes to entertainment and with projects like Lust Stories and now Sacred Games, this looks like a good start.