Published 17:36 IST, April 3rd 2020
'Special Ops' review: Kay Kay Menon & Karan Tacker shine as show keeps you on your toes
Special Ops is an espionage show that stars Kay Kay Menon, Karan Tacker, Vinay Pathak, and Divya Dutta. It airs on the site Hotstar under VIP access. Read.
Special Ops is the right combination of thriller, suspense, and patriotism. The show is a fine example of the work of detectives, police, and R&AW, displaying the difficulties they face as well as their sense of success. The show has a strong cast which includes Kay Kay Menon, Karan Tacker, Vinay Pathak, Sajjad Delafrooz, Muzammil Ibrahim, Saiyami Kher, Meher Vij, Gautami Kapoor, Vipul Gupta, and Divya Dutta.
It is written, created, as well as directed by Neeraj Pandey. The writing is by Deepak Kingrani and Benazir Ali Fida while Shivam Nair also directed the show. It can be streamed on Hotstar VIP.
Special Ops has a great plot paired with a wonderful cast
What is the plot?
The show follows the character of Himmat Singh, who is a member of the Research and Analytics Wing of India (R&AW). Himmat Singh successfully draws a pattern between two major terrorist attacks in India and is convinced that there is one person behind all the plotting and planning, a person with the name of Ikhlaq Khan. The show begins with the attempt of an attack on the Indian Parliament building in Delhi in 2001.
While everyone is convinced that there were five terrorists, Himmat traces the case and finds that there was a sixth one. When nobody believes him, he decides to take a back seat and work on the case in secret. He sends out five people in different countries to find Ikhlaq Khan: Farooq (Karan Tacker), Juhi (Saiyami Kher), Ruhani (Meher Vij), Avinash (Muzammil Ibrahim) and Balakrishnan (Vipul Gupta). Vinay Pathak also plays an important role in the show. The 2011 Mumbai terror attacks are also linked in the story.
What works?
The plot is well written and all the major events have been joined together beautifully. The pattern of revealing the secrets and hidden plot points keeps the suspense high until the very last second of the show. The action is also convincing and sends one into a thrilling ride filled with kicks and punches. The show has been shot at some of the most beautiful locations, which gives an overall rich taste to the scenes.
All the actors in the show are highly convincing in their respective roles. Kay Kay Menon shows his intelligence and knowledge in his acting while Vinay Pathak also plays an excellent role.
The show-stealer, however, is Karan Tacker. The actor has certainly proven his worth and that he knows what he is doing. His acting in the show is straight and clear, even with the number of pressure points involved with is character.
Divya Dutta and Sharad Kelkar might have short roles in the show, but they leave a large impact. Special mention should be given to Sajjad Delafrooz for essaying the role of Hafiz Ali perfectly.
What doesn't work?
While the show lands well with the Special Ops cast, there are some glitches in the show. Karan Tacker and Sana Khan's chemistry aims to be sizzling, but fizzles out and does not appeal to the viewer much.
Avinash and Juhi seem to have a history with each other as they are shown getting awkward in the other's presence. But the whole situation about what happened between the two is not addressed at all the whole show. It sometimes also gets difficult to understand whether the show is running in the past or the present.
The only difference between past and present is Himmat Singh's moustache, which is an unreliable indicator as many scenes do not include him.
Final Thoughts?
The show is a perfect binge for the lockdown and quarantine time. It is a one-time watch as it is highly possible that it will not continue to be interesting after the suspenseful elements are revealed at the end of the show. The suspense keeps one on their toes, and the characters are definitely relatable.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Updated 17:36 IST, April 3rd 2020