Special Ops: Action, drama and dhamaka
Creating a lot of buzz in the digital space is Hotstar Specials’ Special Ops that recently started streaming. Created by filmmaker Neeraj Pandey, and produced by Shital Bhatia, it is an edge-of-the-seat spy series that will not let you leave your comfort spot until you have binge-watched the entire show. Set over a span of 19 years, the show is the story of Himmat Singh, a R&AW agent played by actor Kay Kay Menon, who traces down the six deadly terror attacks to one Ikhlaq Khan, who he believes is the mastermind behind all of them. The show then unfolds as a hunt to find and kill Khan.
The series starts with the 2001 Parliament attack, which has been recreated to closely represent the actual event. It also features a never-seenbefore interview with Ajmal Kasab, the only gunman convicted and hanged for the November 2008 Mumbai attacks. In a bold move, the makers not only show real-life incidents, they also take names of real terrorists — Afzal Guru’s name comes up more than once!
Shot at multiple international locations like Russia, Tehran, Azerbaijan, Jordan, Dubai and Turkey to name a few, the show boasts of an ensemble cast including actors Divya Dutta, Karan Tacker, Parmeet Sethi and Vinay Pathak among others.
Talking about the show, actor Taapsee Pannu says, “The fact that it brings back memories of the real attacks, makes it even more personal for every Indian. The cliffhangers in every episode make it impossible to not get hooked on to.” Actor Manoj Bajpayee, who is a great fan of filmmaker Neeraj Pandey and his work, says, “Kay Kay, Divya and the rest are superlative as actors! Special Ops completely caters to the fan boy in me and here’s to the launch of a spectacular show in the espionage genre!”
Special Ops is now streaming on Hotstar VIP in seven languages.