After gobbling up all 8 episodes of the show in one sitting, I was left asking for more. Not just because the fuckers ended it on a cliffhanger but also because I needed closure. I would have preferred some more answers in the first season itself but alas, you don’t always get what you want. Sacred Games aimed for the moon and definitely landed among the stars! Read on for a short, spoiler-free heads up.

The idea of an Indian Netflix original series helmed by Anurag Kashyap (Gangs of Wasseypur, Ugly) and Vikramaditya Motwane (Udaan, Bhavesh Joshi Superhero) sounded delicious from the get-go.The trailers showed off the solid casting and intriguing plot, luring me in with hopes of a dark, gritty crime drama with hints of possible religious overtones. Being a major sucker for anything Kashyap and Nawazuddin, I knew I would watch the show as soon as I could get my hands on it. (Plus I wanted to see the ‘Apun hi Bhagwan hai’ meme in action)

Though I fully expected a juicy, satisfying 8 hours of no-holds-barred race against time, I was pleasantly surprised by how unpredictable the show could get at certain moments. The first episode itself set the scene for a not-so-fresh but refreshingly authentic story. Reassured that I was in safe hands, I settled down, prepared for the promise of the trailers to be fulfilled. And I wasn’t disappointed. With a brilliant cast, eerie and memorable soundtrack, slick cinematography and punchy script (reminiscent of Kashyap’s trademark profanity), the foundations for a genuine favorite were successfully laid.

The show relies heavily, perhaps too much, on ‘Mumbai’ as a character.

Some of my favorite actors kept popping up playing unexpected characters. I won’t spoil it but you can rest assured you have great surprises in store. Though the show did become a drag in the middle due to minor pacing missteps, it kept me hooked, dying to know what would happen ‘in 25 days’. I actually realized pretty late that this was only the first of many seasons to come and not everything would be revealed in just 8 episodes. The show also relies heavily, perhaps too much, on ‘Mumbai’ as a character in itself, with its own quirks and ethics of right and wrong. That surely aids in establishing in the viewer’s mind, the inevitable darkness and morbidity that lurks underneath all the glamour and power struggles. But it also rings of the tendency on the part of the show-runners to expect the city as the backdrop to do a lot of the storytelling. All said and done, I can’t wait for the next season to drop.

That’s about as much as I can go on without saying too much. Now it’s time to focus on Nadal v Djokovic going on at centre court.

Later!