Sacred Games Season 2 Review : The second season has its moments but fails to leave an impression

First things first. The climax of Sacred Games-Season 2 has been getting mixed reviews and rightly so. While some are enjoying the mind-numbing puzzle handed to us by the show’s climax, there are others who are thoroughly disappointed and feeling betrayed. In season 1, the makers made sure that they introduced new characters to take the story ahead, but without giving out too much information at the same time. It compelled us to be more invested in the story and characters, and at one point, even root for them!

Season 2 picks up the threads from the first season and deftly connects it all, with some occasional shocks and surprises, but the pace is inconsistent. The season opens with Gaitonde held captive on a boat by RAW agent Yadav Madam (Amruta Subhash). Gaitonde can escape only if he obeys her commands, which he unwillingly accepts, thus, embarking on a new chapter in his life. From Mombasa to Guruji’s ashram and back to Mumbai, Gaitonde’s road to self-discovery has its own share of women, revenge and money. We see a more vulnerable, lost and uneasy Gaitonde settling in this new transition.

On the other hand, Sartaj, Majid (Aamir Bashir) and the RAW agents are trying to solve this case, and we see a more confident Sartaj leading the investigation. It’s a delight to watch Sartaj slowly getting a hold of his past and present, and at the same time understanding the pros and cons of the ‘system.’ Sartaj’s quest to go to any lengths to solve the case is a treat to watch on the screen.

The most anticipated character was Pankaj Tripathi’s Guruji, but this is also where the show starts to lose steam. The long conversations between Guruji and Ganesh wear you down. The character graph of Guruji is vague, not allowing us to invest more in him. The same problem was seen with Shahid Khan’s (Ranvir Shorey) character, especially when Khan becomes a key character towards the end. With eight episodes, with a duration of about 45-55 minutes each, it seems a bit lengthy and, at some points, even drags. A looming nuclear threat against the backdrop of a rising communal conflict sounds thoroughly exciting, but the execution is a bit laidback for the plot at hand. The first season feeds on the tensions that grow with each scene and revelation, but this can’t be seen in the second season as it tries to deal with way too many aspects; from mob lynching, fundamentalism, the diabolical political agendas, they fed us way too many elements, which just didn’t sit right.

The technical aspect in both the seasons is what makes this show at par with some of the best thrillers we have seen so far. Be it Alokananda Dasgupta’s original score, Aarti Bajaj’s sleek editing or the cinematography by Swapnil Sonawane, Sylvester Fonseca and Aseem Bajaj, they are all magicians who have created magic on the screen. Not giving away all but still allowing the viewers to get invested and connect the hidden dots can be a difficult task for most, but definitely not for these magicians.

The women in the show hold it all together and how! Surveen Chawla as the suicidal and guilt-ridden Jojo, Amruta Subhash as the controlling, dominating and manipulative RAW agent Yadav Madam, the feisty Elnaaz Norouzi and Guruji’s Lieutenant Kalki Koechlin as Batya Abelman, who becomes the guiding light for Sartaj; all of them leave a strong impression, in spite of limited screen space.

But even with so many brilliant actors on board, season two falls short on several levels and is unable to live up to the hype created by the previous season.