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India’s answer to Narcos
The opening two lines of Sacred Games go thus – ‘Bhagwaan ko maanta hai?’ … ‘Bhagwaan ko lu@d farak padta hai.’ (Do you believe in God? God gives a fu&k).
In between the two lines is a camera shot of a dog lying in a pool of blood – belonging to a small-town-rags to riches Bollywood actress, thrown down from a high rise by a cocaine-snorting co-actor.
You then agree ace directors Vikramaditya Motwane and Anurag Kashyap have finally given the world, Asia’s counter-punch to Narcos.
In between the two lines is a camera shot of a dog lying in a pool of blood – belonging to a small-town-rags to riches Bollywood actress, thrown down from a high rise by a cocaine-snorting co-actor.
You then agree ace directors Vikramaditya Motwane and Anurag Kashyap have finally given the world, Asia’s counter-punch to Narcos.
...
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This one is Sacred! behold the lack of censorship!
I normally don’t review TV shows, but this one is an exception. Directed by Anurag Kashyap and his regular partner in crime Vikramaditya Motwane , Sacred Games is based on a novel by Vikram Chandra. This review is for the Hindi Version. I haven’t yet seen or plan to see the English dubbed audio. Also I haven’t read the novel yet, so I am review the series based on its own merit.
A Note about other reviews/Opinions. It seems most if not all the reviews are just first impressions and the people reviewing and writing about it haven’t actually seen all the episodes instead basing it on the first two episodes. Which is a pathetic way to review a show. Which can only be talked about after seeing all the episodes.
So here is my review based on ALL the 8 episodes of season 1.
Sacred Games is a thriller mixed in with a rise to power story of an ex-Mumbai based gangster. Peppered in are elements of real history of our country. This show is made and designed very much to be an Indian Narcos. Which is great. It’s about time India’s seedy criminal underbelly got the non-Bollywood treatment. So we have lots of swearing of the most filthy kind, nudity of men and women and lots and lots of blood and violence. It’s sort of refreshing to see the extreme portrayal of gang violence which can’t be shown in Bollywood films due to the censor board.
The Acting :
Saif is really good as the Sartaj Singh a sort of down on his luck rookie type Cop. He plays his role with conviction and realism. There is none of the fake Bollywood sheen to his acting; it’s a very raw portrayal of a cop. Probably due to the content, I would say this is saif’s career best performance. It’s nice to see how a main stream star has taken a Web Series role which has none of the usual things that stars do, such as singing, dancing or romancing.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui as Ganesh Gaitonde is an ex-gangster of the Arun Gawli kind. He has played this sort of role before for Anurag’s own Gangs of Wasseypur. Therefore, this isn’t such a departure for him, but he too plays his role with a strength and conviction which lends credibility to his larger than life gangster persona on screen.
Radhika Apte looks convincing as a RAW agent, but she is also the weakest part of the lead casting. Her acting is fine, but somehow her body language is far less convincing. Maybe real life RAW agents are like this, but as far as other actors are concerned in the show who look like they are REAL people, she stands out as the one with the least convincing portrayal.
Rest of the cast is pretty good and as I mentioned before, everyone manages to be convincing in their acting and you forget these are actors and see the performances as if they are real people. Which is the best thing for a project like this.
The Story :
Since I haven’t read the novel, I don’t know where the story is going. But so far it’s all about cops, ministers, gangsters, religion and a murder mystery. On paper, that’s VERY standard fare. It’s the typical collection you expect from any political thriller.
But what REALLY shines about the story is the parts about how the gangster Ganesh came to be. His origin story as it were. These sections are shown in flashbacks and Nawazuddin Siddiqui is in his element during these scenes. In addition, this part of the story, to me is much more interesting than the thriller that is unfolding during the present time.
Saif’s cop thriller story isn’t bad, but it is a by the numbers thriller. Offering nothing-new story wise. Only great performances make these sections more bearable.
The Direction :
As mentioned before this series is divided in two sections. Saif’s cop story is directed by Vikramaditya and the Gangster story of Nawazuddin Siddiqui is directed by Anurag.
Both the sections have some tonal variation which works well for the series overall as one is a Story narrated by the gangster and the other is of events unfolding in the present day. The tonal shift is not jarring but rather works well somehow.
By far anurag’s directed sections are far better than the sections of saif. It’s more appealing, bloody and in your face. It’s like he got three or four times the budget of his previous films and he went to town with the blood and violence. Rather satisfying to see. Direction and tonally, this is the closest he has come to Martin Scorsese’s style.
Overall :
This is a series produced by Netflix and it is aimed at a worldwide audience. So even though there is some smatterings of a song and dance, some cheesy dialogs, most of it is designed to compete with the rest of the world’s best.
The good news is. This show doesn’t disappoint. It is not artificial. People speak in all sorts of different languages and they haven’t tried to make them speak fake English. Which is a big departure from how previous foreign funded Indian projects have turned out to be.
The action and violence is raw and gritty. It shows how the city of Mumbai / Bombay in the 80s and 90s really looked like without demeaning the city. The dialogs are very realistic.
It remains to be seen where the story leads as this is only the first season. So more on that when season 2 arrives.
Rating :
8/10. If you like, gangster movies and thrillers this series is right up your alley. Fans of the director’s previous works will NOT be disappointed.
This is the content Anurag Kashyap The director of Paanch, Black Friday, Dev D and Gangs of Wasseypur deserves and should be making instead of bull crap like Lust Stories and Bombay Velvet.
Conclusion :
Minor Spoilers. VERY Minor.
The show ends on a cliff-hanger. So be warned. If you want to see something with a satisfying conclusion, odds are… you will have to wait for the better part of this year or the next for the next season. Most of the questions raised in this season are not answered and only a slight hint is given to the rest of the story. I don’t know how many more seasons are planned. But this one does it job. Which is leave you with sort of an anticipation for the next season, not quite satisfied but not left hanging so midway that it will anger you. A perfect job by the makers and Netflix to make sure audiences tune in for the next season.
A Note about other reviews/Opinions. It seems most if not all the reviews are just first impressions and the people reviewing and writing about it haven’t actually seen all the episodes instead basing it on the first two episodes. Which is a pathetic way to review a show. Which can only be talked about after seeing all the episodes.
So here is my review based on ALL the 8 episodes of season 1.
Sacred Games is a thriller mixed in with a rise to power story of an ex-Mumbai based gangster. Peppered in are elements of real history of our country. This show is made and designed very much to be an Indian Narcos. Which is great. It’s about time India’s seedy criminal underbelly got the non-Bollywood treatment. So we have lots of swearing of the most filthy kind, nudity of men and women and lots and lots of blood and violence. It’s sort of refreshing to see the extreme portrayal of gang violence which can’t be shown in Bollywood films due to the censor board.
The Acting :
Saif is really good as the Sartaj Singh a sort of down on his luck rookie type Cop. He plays his role with conviction and realism. There is none of the fake Bollywood sheen to his acting; it’s a very raw portrayal of a cop. Probably due to the content, I would say this is saif’s career best performance. It’s nice to see how a main stream star has taken a Web Series role which has none of the usual things that stars do, such as singing, dancing or romancing.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui as Ganesh Gaitonde is an ex-gangster of the Arun Gawli kind. He has played this sort of role before for Anurag’s own Gangs of Wasseypur. Therefore, this isn’t such a departure for him, but he too plays his role with a strength and conviction which lends credibility to his larger than life gangster persona on screen.
Radhika Apte looks convincing as a RAW agent, but she is also the weakest part of the lead casting. Her acting is fine, but somehow her body language is far less convincing. Maybe real life RAW agents are like this, but as far as other actors are concerned in the show who look like they are REAL people, she stands out as the one with the least convincing portrayal.
Rest of the cast is pretty good and as I mentioned before, everyone manages to be convincing in their acting and you forget these are actors and see the performances as if they are real people. Which is the best thing for a project like this.
The Story :
Since I haven’t read the novel, I don’t know where the story is going. But so far it’s all about cops, ministers, gangsters, religion and a murder mystery. On paper, that’s VERY standard fare. It’s the typical collection you expect from any political thriller.
But what REALLY shines about the story is the parts about how the gangster Ganesh came to be. His origin story as it were. These sections are shown in flashbacks and Nawazuddin Siddiqui is in his element during these scenes. In addition, this part of the story, to me is much more interesting than the thriller that is unfolding during the present time.
Saif’s cop thriller story isn’t bad, but it is a by the numbers thriller. Offering nothing-new story wise. Only great performances make these sections more bearable.
The Direction :
As mentioned before this series is divided in two sections. Saif’s cop story is directed by Vikramaditya and the Gangster story of Nawazuddin Siddiqui is directed by Anurag.
Both the sections have some tonal variation which works well for the series overall as one is a Story narrated by the gangster and the other is of events unfolding in the present day. The tonal shift is not jarring but rather works well somehow.
By far anurag’s directed sections are far better than the sections of saif. It’s more appealing, bloody and in your face. It’s like he got three or four times the budget of his previous films and he went to town with the blood and violence. Rather satisfying to see. Direction and tonally, this is the closest he has come to Martin Scorsese’s style.
Overall :
This is a series produced by Netflix and it is aimed at a worldwide audience. So even though there is some smatterings of a song and dance, some cheesy dialogs, most of it is designed to compete with the rest of the world’s best.
The good news is. This show doesn’t disappoint. It is not artificial. People speak in all sorts of different languages and they haven’t tried to make them speak fake English. Which is a big departure from how previous foreign funded Indian projects have turned out to be.
The action and violence is raw and gritty. It shows how the city of Mumbai / Bombay in the 80s and 90s really looked like without demeaning the city. The dialogs are very realistic.
It remains to be seen where the story leads as this is only the first season. So more on that when season 2 arrives.
Rating :
8/10. If you like, gangster movies and thrillers this series is right up your alley. Fans of the director’s previous works will NOT be disappointed.
This is the content Anurag Kashyap The director of Paanch, Black Friday, Dev D and Gangs of Wasseypur deserves and should be making instead of bull crap like Lust Stories and Bombay Velvet.
Conclusion :
Minor Spoilers. VERY Minor.
The show ends on a cliff-hanger. So be warned. If you want to see something with a satisfying conclusion, odds are… you will have to wait for the better part of this year or the next for the next season. Most of the questions raised in this season are not answered and only a slight hint is given to the rest of the story. I don’t know how many more seasons are planned. But this one does it job. Which is leave you with sort of an anticipation for the next season, not quite satisfied but not left hanging so midway that it will anger you. A perfect job by the makers and Netflix to make sure audiences tune in for the next season.
1071 views
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I also expect more with the ending, I didn't get what happened. ID is of Trivedi and Trivedi is expected to stay alive. They also didn't show the face. |
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Almost Worth It
With the internet flooding with Sacred Games' season 1's memes and your friends pestering you for days, you must have either already watched it, or looking for a little bit of free time to.
Two reasons you should definitely watch the new Netflix show Sacred Games: Saif Ali Khan, playing the honest police officer Sartaj Singh, and Nawazuddin Siddiqui, playing the gangster who considers himselves to be God, Ganesh Gaitonde. They have given us one of the very best of their performances till date, and by the end of it you cannot separate the actor from the character, because they are their character.
Radhika Apte as Anjali Mathur, a RAW Agent, who also did a great job, however is shadowed by these two. While she plays the third most important role on the show, it seems like the show could've been done without her.
Apart from this, the show, based on Vikram Chandra's book with the same name, certainly has a hook to it. It makes you want to keep knowing more about Sartaj and Gaitonde's life and you get excited each time you gather more clues about what will happen in Bombay in 25 days and why Trivedi will be the only survivor, as Gaitonde narrated to Sartaj over a phone call before he shot himself dead. However, the show proceeds at a slow pace, and ones like me who do not always enjoy mafia or crime content may not enjoy this as much, but will still watch till the end for the suspense. While season 1 overall does not reveal much about what Gaitonde warned Sartaj about, and he tried to investigate with Anjali, it has several other things going on, most of it related to Gaitonde's gang. There is rivarly, murder and sex, and blackmails to Sartaj from his boss relating to another case.
In short, should you watch it because everyone is? Certainly not. You should watch it if you have an appetite for violence and mob drama, and also patience.
Two reasons you should definitely watch the new Netflix show Sacred Games: Saif Ali Khan, playing the honest police officer Sartaj Singh, and Nawazuddin Siddiqui, playing the gangster who considers himselves to be God, Ganesh Gaitonde. They have given us one of the very best of their performances till date, and by the end of it you cannot separate the actor from the character, because they are their character.
Radhika Apte as Anjali Mathur, a RAW Agent, who also did a great job, however is shadowed by these two. While she plays the third most important role on the show, it seems like the show could've been done without her.
Apart from this, the show, based on Vikram Chandra's book with the same name, certainly has a hook to it. It makes you want to keep knowing more about Sartaj and Gaitonde's life and you get excited each time you gather more clues about what will happen in Bombay in 25 days and why Trivedi will be the only survivor, as Gaitonde narrated to Sartaj over a phone call before he shot himself dead. However, the show proceeds at a slow pace, and ones like me who do not always enjoy mafia or crime content may not enjoy this as much, but will still watch till the end for the suspense. While season 1 overall does not reveal much about what Gaitonde warned Sartaj about, and he tried to investigate with Anjali, it has several other things going on, most of it related to Gaitonde's gang. There is rivarly, murder and sex, and blackmails to Sartaj from his boss relating to another case.
In short, should you watch it because everyone is? Certainly not. You should watch it if you have an appetite for violence and mob drama, and also patience.
1067 views
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Binge-watch worthy!
If you only accessed Netflix for foreign TV shows or movies, Sacred Games in all its might is here to change that forever! Nawazuddin Siddiqui as Ganesh Gaitonde steals the show completely and gives you a never felt before high with his story telling skills. Like any other show, this one also has an eternal love story - Sartaj and Katekar's. One thing that Sacred Games promises its viewers is amazing dialogues in every episode. It makes the viewers mutter a "Thanks" under their breaths solely directed to the censor board, every time Bunty or Gaitonde say their dialogues. This series is hands down worth investing time in and the anticipation of the next season is what you'll be left with by the end of it.
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A largely satisfying gangster saga coupled with raw filmmaking and praiseworthy performances.
Sacred Games is a perfect example of what a group of amazing filmmakers like, Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane can do when they don’t have to constantly worry about their scenes or dialogues getting censored. This is what full creative freedom can do. Because this genre has never been explored so freely and so well. It’s dark, violent, gruesome and beautiful. It also covers mature themes like violence and nudity with great nuance and perfection.
The show’s highlight is the performance of Nawazuddin Siddiqui as Ganesh Gaitonde who is reveting as the dreaded gangster.He makes you feel terrified of him while subsequently making you cry too.The show houses a sprawling narrative filled with a variety of characters and perfectly cast actors. The writing is praiseworthy as it easily weaves an engaging, coherent story involving a large number of subplots. The show is filled with violence and doesn’t hold back in its abuse-ridden dialogues.
Sacred Games is probably India’s most bold series in the streaming industry and is an absolute treat to watch.
Sacred Games is a perfect example of what a group of amazing filmmakers like, Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane can do when they don’t have to constantly worry about their scenes or dialogues getting censored. This is what full creative freedom can do. Because this genre has never been explored so freely and so well. It’s dark, violent, gruesome and beautiful. It also covers mature themes like violence and nudity with great nuance and perfection.
The show’s highlight is the performance of Nawazuddin Siddiqui as Ganesh Gaitonde who is reveting as the dreaded gangster.He makes you feel terrified of him while subsequently making you cry too.The show houses a sprawling narrative filled with a variety of characters and perfectly cast actors. The writing is praiseworthy as it easily weaves an engaging, coherent story involving a large number of subplots. The show is filled with violence and doesn’t hold back in its abuse-ridden dialogues.
Sacred Games is probably India’s most bold series in the streaming industry and is an absolute treat to watch.
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Netflix the leading platform for online content rocked Indian market with Sacred Games .
With excellent casting , powerfull dialogues , intense scenes and most important charachter imagination . Series starts with showing Ganesh Gaitonde (Nawazudin Siddiqui) contacting Sartaj Singh ( Saif Ali Khan ) and giving him an ultimatum that there will be something devasting in the city and you have 25 days to save the city. This Statement terrified Sartaj Singh and then there are many people who start getting attached to Ganesh Gaitonde .
Outstanding thing which will leave an impact on you would be the extreme and realness which the audience were waiting from so long.
With excellent casting , powerfull dialogues , intense scenes and most important charachter imagination . Series starts with showing Ganesh Gaitonde (Nawazudin Siddiqui) contacting Sartaj Singh ( Saif Ali Khan ) and giving him an ultimatum that there will be something devasting in the city and you have 25 days to save the city. This Statement terrified Sartaj Singh and then there are many people who start getting attached to Ganesh Gaitonde .
Outstanding thing which will leave an impact on you would be the extreme and realness which the audience were waiting from so long.
526 views
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Great series. Actors are so amaing. Acting is so pure. Waiting for season 2? nawaz bhai did an amaing job. Creators should make more series like this and open the dark secrets of our nation
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First Indian Original Series came like a Thunder
Netflix unveils its first Indian series, a compelling, and mostly familiar, cops-and-gangsters epic. Main reason was to get attention of the local public of India. I watched Sacred Games and I think it is one of the best Indian series till now (as it is the first one too), The story line of the season 1 will not let you get distracted and most probably you will be ended up by seeing all the episodes of season 1.
Coming to the acting part, everybody has done an amazing acting. Especially Nawazuddin Siddiqui, he made the 'Ganesh Gaitonde' alive in the world. His dialogue delivery was also very good. Saif Ali Khan being a police cop as 'Sartaj Singh' done a very good job.
As the director itself is Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane, after making one of his best movies like 'Gangs of Wasseypur' and 'Udta Punjab', he just raised his standards of direction and being a director who shows real world, you don't need to be worried about the screenplays. Everything is showed very realistic with the dark history of India too.
And last I will conclude myself by saying, the series as it is worth watching and you will be thrilled with the story.
Coming to the acting part, everybody has done an amazing acting. Especially Nawazuddin Siddiqui, he made the 'Ganesh Gaitonde' alive in the world. His dialogue delivery was also very good. Saif Ali Khan being a police cop as 'Sartaj Singh' done a very good job.
As the director itself is Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane, after making one of his best movies like 'Gangs of Wasseypur' and 'Udta Punjab', he just raised his standards of direction and being a director who shows real world, you don't need to be worried about the screenplays. Everything is showed very realistic with the dark history of India too.
And last I will conclude myself by saying, the series as it is worth watching and you will be thrilled with the story.
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Sacred Games is a series of the crucial lifestyle and evolution of a gangster namely Ganesh Gaitonde who became lord gangster from just being a petty thief when he was a kid , then about the rampant corruption in the police department and then finally the petty heinous crimes taking place in the Mumbai city .
The story starts with revolving around the life of an honest police man ' SARTAJ SINGH' played by Saif Ali Khan who is caught up in the court because he was the last witness to a murder that was shown as the mistake of the kid but in reality it was a murder that was willfully done by a policeman and Sartaj SIngh had no choice but to lie in the court or else he could lose his job for just being an honest policeman ,
then the lord gangster 'GANESH GAITONDE ' who became the lord of all gangsters in Mumbai which was know as Bombay back then he had three father one after another the first one was a poor man who would spend all his money on alcohol and come home and then hit him - the second one was a priest who was faultly accused of killing his own wife for having an extra marital affair- and the third one was a gangster who taught him the rules and starting of the criminal world,
then the raw officer which is played by Radhika Apte who is all confused and focused both in the moment to catch the gang lord before anyone else can . Sacred Games is in together a series that gives the viewers an adrenaline rush .
The story starts with revolving around the life of an honest police man ' SARTAJ SINGH' played by Saif Ali Khan who is caught up in the court because he was the last witness to a murder that was shown as the mistake of the kid but in reality it was a murder that was willfully done by a policeman and Sartaj SIngh had no choice but to lie in the court or else he could lose his job for just being an honest policeman ,
then the lord gangster 'GANESH GAITONDE ' who became the lord of all gangsters in Mumbai which was know as Bombay back then he had three father one after another the first one was a poor man who would spend all his money on alcohol and come home and then hit him - the second one was a priest who was faultly accused of killing his own wife for having an extra marital affair- and the third one was a gangster who taught him the rules and starting of the criminal world,
then the raw officer which is played by Radhika Apte who is all confused and focused both in the moment to catch the gang lord before anyone else can . Sacred Games is in together a series that gives the viewers an adrenaline rush .
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Sacred Games are not sacred at all....they will scare you
Anuag Kashyap has brought another masterpiece into the entertainment world! this man is surely the king of bollywood crime genre! The game will make you sweat with anticipation and astonishment with the twists and turns. From dirty politics to plots and turns it have everything. Sacred Games is the Indian Game of Thrones!
627 views
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A bit boring at the starting but slowly and slowly suspense increases. It is worth watching.
One of the best role by Nawazuddin Siddique as Ganesh Gaitonde
One of the best role by Nawazuddin Siddique as Ganesh Gaitonde
651 views
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The show started with the powerful pilot episode. It capitalized heavily on vulgarity, sex and raw Indian context but lacked the depth as promised by pilot episode. No doubt the cinematography, storytelling and acting were brilliant which make it a must watch for any moviegoer but at the end of the day, it felt like an ordinary crime thriller.
I think of it as an experiment by Netflix and guess we will get more shows with greater depth in OTT space eventually.
I think of it as an experiment by Netflix and guess we will get more shows with greater depth in OTT space eventually.
653 views
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Sacred Games, India's first Netflix original is a dark, vulgar and highly intense Gangster-Cops epic which gets the perfect place on the list of great international web shows. The show kickstarts itself with some dark dialogue delivery which instantly gives the hint that it isn't gonna hold back on anything, anytime sooner. The pilot episode was literally one of the best I've ever seen and I'm not even exaggerating.
Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditiya Motwane have delivered yet another GEM on our doorstep just as they were expected to.
Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditiya Motwane have delivered yet another GEM on our doorstep just as they were expected to.
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Gripping,intense and politically loaded
It is one of the Netflix original series which is in Hindi language . it is based on the novel which is based on the novel with the same name .Well coming about the series i can say it is well written,well directed and well executed ,and well performed by all the actors but role portrayed by nawazuddin Siddiqui of (Ganesh gaitonde) , he overshadows all the actor so according to me it is
640 views
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Adapted from the book by Vikram Chandra, it is actually a sprawling autobiography of the fascinating city called Bombay, Mumbai for us Millennial. Nawazuddi Siddiqui as Gaitonde was performed beautifully and the character sketch was brilliant beyond words can comprehend
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