<em> Sacred Games </em>: Is This Indeed the Show India Had Been Waiting For?

As the camera follows a Pomeranian fall from the roof of a high-rise and plummet to its death on the pavement below, the voice of Nawazuddin Siddiqui floats in from the background, “Bhagwaan ko maante ho?”바카라 웹사이트(“Do you believe in god?”). The gripping opening scene sets the tone for바카라 웹사이트Netflix라이브 바카라 first바카라 웹사이트Indian web series,바카라 웹사이트Sacred Games,바카라 웹사이트a dark and gritty tale based on Vikram Chandra라이브 바카라 2006 novel of the same name.

Soon after the opening scene, gangster Ganesh Gaitonde, the character Siddiqui plays, goes on to say how he often feels like god himself -- sipping on a bottle labeled바카라 웹사이트Apna Cola바카라 웹사이트as he prophesises the annihilation of Mumbai.

Directed by Vikramaditya Motwane and Anurag Kashyap,Sacred Games바카라 웹사이트has already generated바카라 웹사이트a바카라 웹사이트lot of buzz on social media since its premier on바카라 웹사이트July 6. Besides Siddiqui as the menacing Gaitonde, the series stars Saif Ali Khan as his key adversary, police officer Sartaj Singh, Radhika Apte as intelligence officer Anjali Mathur, and a host of other critically-acclaimed actors in supporting characters.바카라 웹사이트Sacred Games바카라 웹사이트is set against the backdrop of a cat-and-mouse game between Singh and Gaitonde in the heart of Mumbai. The gangster challenges the cop to save the city in the next 25 days, leaving Singh to decode his cryptic words while racing against a ticking bomb.

The eight episode-long series was shot simultaneously by the two directors, with Motwane steering the Sartaj Singh narrative and Kashyap weaving the story of Gaitonde. A바카라 웹사이트riveting바카라 웹사이트screenplay바카라 웹사이트loaded바카라 웹사이트with expletives바카라 웹사이트and an antagonist who라이브 바카라 mired in insecurities but knocked out by his thirst for power,바카라 웹사이트Sacred Games바카라 웹사이트seems to have taken the Netflix-and-chill Indian by a pleasant surprise.

“It라이브 바카라 all set to become even stranger and more exciting in season two,” says actor Pankaj Tripathi, who essays the role of Khanna Guru Ji or Gaitonde라이브 바카라 “third father” in the show. “This season wasn’t too difficult, the real task begins in season two…However, I have complete faith in the company of Varun Grover, Vikramaditya Motwane and Anurag Kashyap, all of whom I love dearly,” the actor says. Despite Tripathi라이브 바카라 character appearing briefly in this season, his presence piques one라이브 바카라 interest as Guru Ji ultimately becomes a key player in the world of바카라 웹사이트Sacred Games. “I haven’t read the book because I believe I am a director라이브 바카라 actor. I rely a lot on spontaneity while on the sets. Before starting the next season I might read the book, I am not sure. For example, I am playing the part of the lawyer in the Indian remake of바카라 웹사이트The Night Of바카라 웹사이트바카라 웹사이트바카라 웹사이트(a 2016 mini-series produced by HBO starring Riz Ahmed and John Turturro). I refused to watch that show because I wanted to situate my character in Mumbai and play it honestly,” Tripathi adds.

Over the past couple of years, directors like Anurag Kashyap have experienced several unpleasant run-ins with the Indian censor board on issues of content in their films. Subsequently, a foray into the unhinged world of platforms like Netflix has evidently given Indian filmmakers the space to push their creative envelope. “When I spoke to Radhika Apte about this show, she told me how when she had done a horror movie called바카라 웹사이트Phobia바카라 웹사이트a couple of years ago, she wasn’t allowed to use cuss words for censorship reasons. So she said that I don’t know how to react. It does affect the inhibition an actor faces,” says film critic Raja Sen.

Actor Kubbra Sait goes nude – involving full frontal –- in one of the most poignant and bold scenes that shows her character,바카라 웹사이트cabaret dancer Cuckoo,바카라 웹사이트revealing바카라 웹사이트her identity as a transgender바카라 웹사이트to her lover, Gaitonde. While Cuckoo was relegated to just a passing reference in the novel, Kashyap and co. breathed life into her by adding layers that gradually unfold through the first season. “I had no body of work to refer to, maybe that라이브 바카라 what worked for Cuckoo. It was fresh, real and raw,” says Sait, also a well-known anchor and winner of India라이브 바카라 Best Female Emcee Award. She had previously played short roles in Salman Khan starrers바카라 웹사이트Ready바카라 웹사이트(2011) and Sultan바카라 웹사이트(2016). Her performance in바카라 웹사이트Sacred Games바카라 웹사이트has garnered praise from different quarters, as is evident from the countless messages on her social media feed. “This is special. I feel so loved. My mum is proud. That라이브 바카라 special…Some even compared the death of Cuckoo to the death of Jon Snow…Sacred Games바카라 웹사이트has been compared to바카라 웹사이트Satya바카라 웹사이트and바카라 웹사이트Gangs of Wasseypur. This is a grand step towards Indian content and it being showcased to the world,” Sait adds.

As the makers and actors of바카라 웹사이트Sacred Games바카라 웹사이트bask in the glory of their show라이브 바카라 success, Raja Sen feels it라이브 바카라 just the beginning. “It라이브 바카라 really good by our standards and I feel we are off to a superb start. For the last few years, we haven’t really been able to go up with regard to quality of shows produced. So compared to all of that, this is on a completely different level,” he says. However, is it too early to call it the best thing that has happened to the Indian small screen in recent times? “These are steps forward, yes, but even for the sake of the writers of this show, we need to let them do more before we deify them,” Sen says.