Netflix’s Sacred Games 2 Review: Powerful and Intriguing!

Back in 2018, Season 1 of Sacred Games garnered tons of following not only because of the stellar cast but, also because of the realistic vibe, masterful storytelling and appealing characters. Fast forward to the sunny summer of 2019, the promos for Sacred Games 2 caught the viewers attention and the substantial doubt of not having a second season quickly disappeared. With quite a few new characters getting introduced in the new season and a million different questions on deck, I should say Sacred Games 2 lived up to the hype but, had a multitude of narrative issues from beginning to the end.

Must Read: Sacred Games 1 Review: Gritty! Authentic!

The storyline kicks off where it ended abruptly in Season 1 with Sartaj and his team inspecting the underground fallout shelter in Gaitonde’s safe house. On the other hand, on a different timeline, Gaitonde finds himself in the middle of nowhere, stranded, lonely with another guy on a boat near the continent of Africa. Eventually, when he accepts Trivedi’s proposal of a new life, he visits Kenya and starts working his way up in different trades. Back to Sartaj’s timeline, his team quickly discover that there is a nuclear threat to the city and begin their investigation with very little time left on the clock.

One of the primary reasons why Season 1 worked for the majority of the Indian audience is because of the engaging characters and Season is no different. Since the very beginning, the development was done precisely for these already introduced characters. The principal characters had a story arc as the entire show centred around their judgements. First and foremost, Sartaj, who is already descending towards depression by the end of the first season, gets buried in the pits of darkness, uncertainty, and depression for the entirety of S2. The on-going problems with his ex-wife, grief about Katekar’s death, the real-world problems turn him into a paranoid individual with very little hope towards humanity.

On the flip side, Ganesh Gaitonde, who has a similar story arc to Sartaj, also lives through different phases of life throughout the runtime. Suffering from guilt, being at peace, and freeing himself from chaos, he overcomes, escapes and surrenders to several things which, in turn, makes his character more complex and intriguing. His relationship with JoJo (Surveen Chawla) led to some sweet and delightful moments which showcased more of the human side of Gaitonde.

However, the character of Guruji also stands on-par with Sartaj and Gaitonde in terms of appeal. His beliefs, folk stories and preachings are by far one of the most enthralling parts of the series and did not convert into a borefest at any point. Batya Abelman (Kalki Koechlin) fulfills the spokesperson role for Guruji, similar to Ma Anand Sheela in Wild Wild Country. Additionally, a few other characters especially, Yadav, Majid and Katekar’s family were also given many moments to shine and be a part of the primary storyline.

Having said that despite the character moments, and the key developments, the second season ultimately suffered from a myriad of pacing issues. With an end goal which revolves around the explosion of the nuclear bomb, the narrative took a whole lot of time and a few filler scenes to reach the finale. The level of excitement and the intrigue S1 had in terms of content was unfortunately very minimal in S2. But, in the end, there are several different aspects which kept me engaged on the whole.

Furthermore, the performances are and will always be the spearhead positive of this entire series. Nawazuddin Siddiqui kicks it up a notch with his top-class performance, especially during a few intense scenes. Saif Ali Khan splendidly portrays his unhappy, miserable role with perfection. And the pain and agony that he is going through can be seen within his unstable body language and facial expressions. Pankaj Tripathi seems to be the perfect pick to play the role of Guruji and his tranquil demeanor, idyllic attitude, and subtle expressions were on-point inside and out.

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Overall, Sacred Games 2 shines bright when it comes to developing the lead characters and flawlessly showcasing them on-screen. Furthermore, the storyline also had enough intrigue, gripping scenes as the show is easily binge-able. Nevertheless, the slow pacing and a few writing issues might hurt or blemish your sky-high expectations. So, drop your excitement levels down a notch, and you’ll not be disappointed.