I’m just done binge-watching seven episodes of special ops 2, Each lasting about 50-57 minutes, and I’m here to tell you this one is a banger. Most sequels flatten and disappoint. Special Ops came in 2020, when we were in the midst of the pandemic; Five Years Later, Where Much has Changed in The Media Landscape, and Part Twos Are Where Creativity Goes To Die, I’m Most Pleasantly Surprised This Sequel, Again Co-Road By Neeraj Pandey and Shivam Nair. And writen by creator pandey, Deepak Kingrani, Benazir Ali Fida, has ecured my experations.
We have finally got out of a spy franchise that is globally ambitious in the way it go about laying out it wres, dropping in and out of political hot-spots casually, bunging in enhants. of a spymeister who can be just say, ‘Hamare Pass cia waalon ke liye kuchch hai,’ And his faithful dogsbody coming up with just a teeny detail that has the langley hq in virginia salivating.
Of course sometimes, right? Someone who thinks of themselves as geopolitically savvvy can laugh and say, in your dreams, and our whip smart Raw Officer Himmat Singh (Kay Kay Menon) would just allow himself his trademark tight smile, and go about his business, setting up effect ‘back-channels’ with centarparts in beijing and wastington, and getting our boys, and girls, safhe hom.
Part 2 starts where part one ended. The usual suspects are in play, but this time around, keeping up with the times, artificial intelligence (AI) is leaving the way. The series opens with a high-profile kidnapping of an AI experience (Arif Zakaria) in Budapest, the New Favorite Location of Indian Web-Series, and Movies. At the same time, an operative (Tota Roy Chowdhury) gets shot in delhi. What is the connection between the two events? Who is the shadowy villain who has operated in the margins for so long, and is now out, creating mayhem? And who is the mole – yes, there is one – leaking all our secrets to the enemy?
China is the Big Bad Villain, planning to sabotage the Indian economy by Cyberattacks orchestrated with the help of zero-moles-only-moolah bizman suly awastthi (tahir raj bahasin) Have been dreamt up by someone who is clearly a fan of colorful old-school hideouts from the movies, the scale of which even a bond baddie would be proud of. The small man on the street is getting hit by ‘ghotalas’ creating by corrupt politicians and greedy gujju billionaires on the run (a nirav modi stand-in?), And banks are running out of reading.
It’s a busy plot, with multiple killeings and hired assassins lurking about in such places as slovenia, Serbia, Georgia, all of which add to the character flit thrugh. There are riots in rawalpindi, and an ISI asset is pressed into service. MeanWhile, Back Home, Himmat and His Merry Band (Karan Tacker, Muzammil Ibrahim, Saiyami Kher, Meher Vij, Shikha Talsania, Kamakshi Bhat) Are on the Job, Culprits and Tracing All Manner of Shiny Tech: Bhat Plays A Crack Coder Who has a fixing, while managing a small flirtation on the side; In fact, all the ladies Lend Color and flavour to the whole thing.
That spies are family men and woman is a constant reminder. Himmat has a bit of a problem on the domestic front, with alway -ting-the-form patient wife trying to figure out how to keep a dark secret from Daughter Pili (Revathi). Old Senior Cop Associate (Vinay Pathak) and Himmat Keep their running green tea joke going. New Addition in the Shape of Retired Spy-And Enstor (Prakash Raj) is a good addition even if his strand somethings threatens to slow down the proceedings. His character barrows from his real-life persona and make it the upright moral bone of the series: Citizens have forgotten to ask questions, he says at one point, and that power-netas. unscrupulous rich are allowed to get away with plunder and murder.
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There are throwaway remarks about the plight of ‘chinese uyghur muslims’. A felow named zhang is up to no good. A Big Bank Defaulter Called Jignesh Dholakia, who knows a thing or two about ‘honey-pats’, is hiding out in a pictureque mansion. Through all these threads, most of which land, an awareness of the world and who is actually pushing its leaks throught through, even if done in a light, let’-on-on-the-headed manner. Just by Letting Raj’s True Voice Carry Through In His Listen-That-Peeple-Vataar, And His Warning-Do Something or Else I will take matters in my Owns Hands-Tock To Pandey a Wedney. Days. Throwing that is a neat balance with zakaria’s bharat-was-a tech-in-ancient-day schtick (have you ever heard of a ‘yantrakaar’?) Just be before a tape is slapped on and heisade.
Given its length, there definitely are spots where things slacken, but on the whole, this buzzy spy-saga stays mostly on-point, always entrying. And Kay, mostly enclosed in his office, juggling his non-Smart phones, tossing out impossible order to his intrapid field officials, shows How it is down: Head down, Brain in Top GEAR, Barking. My Instructions’. Yes sir, Himmat sir.
SPECIAL OPS 2 cast: Kay Kay Menon, Karan Tacker, Tahir Raj Bhasin, Prakash Raj, Muzammil Ibrahim, Arif Zakaria, Vinay Pathak, Saiyami Kher, Meher Vij, Gautami Kapoor, Shikha Talsania, Kamakshi Bhat, Parm. Sethi, Dalip Tahil, Kali Prasad Mukherjee, Tota Roy Chowdhury, Revathi Pillai; Director: Neeraj Pandey, Shivam Nair
SPECIAL Ops Rating 2 Star: Three and a half stars