Special Ops: Deconstructed

I must admit, I have been intently waiting for the next big surprise from the universe of Neeraj Pandey. The genius who gave us delicious treats like A Wednesday, Special 26, Baby, Naam Shabana and M.S Dhoni: The untold story. They have a certain something that will make you want to watch them over and over again.

Special Ops belongs right to that stable. It has everything you can expect a Neeraj Pandey film to have. Twisted characters, borderline blind patriotism, convoluted plots, plots within plots and several characters arcs. This is only listing a few of them.

Special Ops introduces us to the brilliant, vulnerable and super-confident Himmat Singh. He is a Research and Analysis wing (R & AW) personnel. One among many who are involved in the game of covert statecraft.

Special Ops is definitely special but not for all the right reasons. The story revolves around a wafer-thin plot of a manhunt. One which lasts around 19-20 years and ends like a damp squib. It is special though, because the scale of the show is grand. Pandey has always had a penchant for good looking backdrops combined with extremely suave cinematography. Special Ops is another example of fine cinematography against some gorgeous locales. We are treated with beautiful shots around the Mediterranean (Another Neeraj Pandey penchant). This apart from the usual bureaucratic drama in Delhi and Mumbai; the quintessential India.

Special Ops is replete with viciously twisted characters. We have the usual Neeraj Pandey favourites in the form of the brilliant Kay Kay Menon, Divya Dutta, Rajendra Chawla and K.P Mukherjee. And then we have some new additions in the form of the ever-reliable Vinay Pathak, Sharad Kelkar, Sajjad Delafrooz, Parmeet Sethi and Gautami Kapoor. Apart from these, there are a bunch of YOUNG agents out on the field doing their jobs with their respective alibis.

Neeraj Pandey and Shivam Nair have directed a very well written screenplay which is interlaced with factual events that have taken place in India starting with the attack on the Indian parliament in 2001.

The screenplay has woven these events into its world of fiction seamlessly. It feels very plausible. However, a lot of creative liberty is taken by the makers and the plot has N number of loopholes.

Himmat Singh is senior personnel in R & AW and handles a team of five agents spread throughout the middle East. He is good at his job and his confidence is next to none. Hats off to Kay Kay Menon for delivering another mind-blowing performance. The camaraderie Himmat Singh shares with Anwar (Vinay Pathak; brilliant) and with Saroj (Gautami Kapoor; nuanced) is exceptional and lifts the show up during lull moments.

Talking about the action, it comes across as a breath of fresh air with good sound mixing and plausible hand to hand combat. Helmed by Cyril Rafaelli who is an avant-garde stunt coordinator, the action feels believable. Combined with subtle effects and an engaging background score, the sequences are almost edge of the seat. The background score gets a little jarring every now and then in typical Neeraj Pandey style.

The bustle shifts continuously from Delhi to Baku to Istanbul to Mumbai and culminates in Dubai/Delhi in a staid manner. After a point, it becomes predictable and we are left to the imagination of the makers. The scenes filmed in India (for the viewer) are astute and entertaining. They feel very organic and the performances are top notch. It has a combination of everything Neeraj Pandey likes; Corrupt politicians, a man riddled with blind patriotism, the local flavour, an interesting ensemble cast, cheeky dialogue, pleasing humor and good use of technology. It all falls in place.

The team of agents (A bulk of them TV actors) look more like vanilla faced models rather than real agents. Barring Meher Vij, all the other actors come up with sub-par performances. Nevertheless, Sajjad Delafrooz (Seen in Tiger Zinda Hai) impresses once again as the mysterious and sinister Hafiz Ali.

Special Ops is mounted on a large scale and has excellent production value. It is an 8 episode show and is definitely binge worthy. It could do with better editing and sharper writing. The slo-mo feels unadventurous at times but does the trick. Apart from this, slow and long dialogue is another point of contention. The show works because of an excellent ensemble, a lavish setup and the wonderful Kay Kay Menon. Watch it for him.

I am hoping Hotstar and Friday Storytellers are planning a sequel. We would love to see a lot more of Kay Kay Menon.