When Netflix launched its first Indian series, we had no idea what to expect. Most of us assumed Sacred Games will either be an elongated melodramatic series for housewives or too fancy for the usual Indian viewers. The result took us by surprise.
The series based on the Vikram Chandra’s book by the same name, was aired on July 6 and started with police officer Sartaj (Shaif Ali Khan) receiving an anonymous phone-call saying: “You have 25 days to save your city”. The phone call sets the clock ticking and has him running around Mumbai looking for clues which eventually leads to a missing criminal Ganesh Gaitonde (Nawazuddin Siddiqui). The most interesting thing about the series perhaps is the reference to the real historic events such as the Bofors scam, the 1993 Bombay riots and the Shah Bano case.
What is Sacred Games and how it all started?
The very first scene in the series is of a dog falling from a skyscraper and a question, “Do you believe in God?” which is often repeated throughout the season through a voice of a non-believer. After a loud thump and squeals from school girls, we see the impact of the fall which is followed by narrator claiming that God doesn’t care. This very scene tells how blunt the series is going to be and as the story moves forward, similar brutality is inflicted on humans as well. Sacred Games is a tale of dark side of Mumbai filled with drug, sex, violence and most importantly the political corruption. Sacred Games also dares to play with the most controversial element – God and religion. Each episode of Sacred Games is named after different Hindu mythologies.
How it ends for Season 1?
First season ended on a cliffhanger when Sartaj was still running around and seeking the truth as the 25th day approaches. He discovers a Geiger counter which makes him realize the attack is much bigger than he had anticipated and has left the audience perplexed, wondering what exactly is the sinister threat which is supposed to wipe out the whole Indian city.
Will there be Season 2 of Sacred Games? When will Netflix release second season?
Netflix is yet to confirm season 2 of Sacred Games but it is expected due to immense positive response from viewers and critics. Also, we have only tasted one third of story from the book which is of 1000 pages. Cast members have also been dropping hints that there will indeed be a second season of the series. It has been speculated that the villain in season 2 will be the TV priest Guruji (Pankaj Tripathi) and we are obviously looking forward to more references to the real events from India. However, it is still doubtful if our favorite character, Kuckoo will return. The transgender bar dancer and Ganesh Gaitonde’s love interest was killed in the first season but we might possibly see more or her if Season 2 explores more deeply into Ganesh’s past.
Sacred Games brings the whole world in your screen. It is hard to keep up with the languages as they change from Marathi, Hindi, English, Gujrati and Punjabi. This shows how language is no more a barrier when it comes to storytelling perhaps opening doors to more intriguing series in obscure languages.
IMBD Rating: 9.2/10
Rotten tomatoes rating: 89%
First episode date: July 6, 2018
Number of episodes: 8
Number of seasons: 1
Language: Hindi
