You may have a predetermined portfolio built up for an Indian cop character in Bollywood. Someone that defies the laws of physics, a toned-down superman like powers, and a sharp brain that makes Sherlock Holmes feel like a 3-year-old. Coupled with the bravery of He-man, and the luck of a Leprechaun's left toe.
I quit anything Bollywood almost a decade back when I began realizing that it was more about selling tickets than creating engaging content. The storylines became predictable, the characters became similar in every story and so did their behavior. Not to mention the forced glamour and excitement to really sell full houses.
But, Sacred Games is different. It is one of the few Bollywood works I have found that break the "meta" and truly embody the art of the business.
The series hit its first home run against me in the first episode itself. There is no clear indication of who the protagonist is and who the nemesis. By the end of the first season, the question will still remain unanswered but for different reasons.
In the very first episode, you are left with a conundrum. One of the leading characters of the story, Gaithonde, who is then revealed to be one of the evilest and dangerous man known to India reappears in the radar...himself.
He begins sharing his lore with Sartaj, also a contender to be the protagonist, a cop battling with a broken love life and mental health issues amidst the corruption within the system. The lore plants the first seed of doubt about Gaithonde. It hints towards his broken childhood, and if Gaithonde has his own story all wrong.
Sartaj is played by Saif Ali Khan. A renowned actor in Bollywood. He has done plenty of action and laws of physics-defying cop and spy roles. But this is the first time a lead role, as a cop, has been given such a realistic touch. Mundane, unathletic, mentally broken, and almost useless.
Gaithonde is played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Arguably one of the most talented actors in Bollywood. He clearly is in my S tier of actors. His technique of embodying a character and realistically reproducing it on screen is second to none. I bet if it was any other actor in his place, Gaithonde would be left rather unrelatable.
Throughout the series, we are exposed to the darker sides of India. The corruption within the system, the religious wars between Hindu and Muslims, how it came to be and the real motives behind the religious movements, and who the real benefactors were.
We are also exposed through Sartaj and his colleagues to the real lives of the people working in the system. Their troubles, the details of their lives, and also the dark reality. Through Gaithonde we see the birth of a gangster, the building of a criminal empire, the lives of budding gang wars and the darker side of politics.
Amidst all this lies the catalyst, religious tensions. The hand behind the tensions - political power games. As a result, we are shown how terrorists are born, the casualties of normal families, and a very unexpected twist - a cult.
There is a lot going on in the first season. One thing leads to another. One story gives birth to another. It does feel like a nuclear reaction. One sets off, and the other nucleus bounce against the others and hence a chain reaction leading to an explosion.
But the real reason I enjoyed the series so much isn't because of how blatantly bold and insightful it is. It isn't because of what they have done differently from the expected Bollywood style of filmmaking. Rather it was in the details.
The smaller details like the sweat on Sartaj's shirt. The dirt on his turban. Tiny details that made it a story of a struggling cop in the hot Bombay. The flares from the guns, the blood splatter designs, and the chunks of the brain in the blood whenever required. The realistically gore and anatomically correct CGI in a severed thumb.
Small and very tiny things that are usually given a pass by the audience and ignored by the production. It was the tiny details like when Kuko only likes it Doggystyle and the biggest gangster of them are riding with 5 people in the most expensive car. Tiny details that bring you closer to the story in the form of reliability and realism. That is where the appreciation of the art truly emerges.
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