Special Ops 1.5: Hugely Entertaining
Yogendra is freelance writer
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By Yogendra
First publised on 2021-11-13 06:23:00
About the Author
Yogendra is freelance writer
View all posts by this Author
Those who watched Special Ops are familiar with Himmat Singh (played brilliantly by Kay Kay Menon), the quirky RAW operative who had his own take on the number of people involved in the attack on the Indian parliament. Although no one believed his theory of a sixth terrorist who escaped, Himmat is still after Iqlakh. Special Ops 1.5, now streaming on Disney+Hotstar, takes us back in time and through the storytelling powers of Delhi Police SI Abbas Sheikh (Vinay Pathak), lets us know what went into making Himmat Singh the man and officer that he is.
As the inquisitive duo Bannerji and Chaddha (Kali Prasad Mukherjee and Parmeet Sethi) dig deep to ostensibly appraise Himmat's work for post-retirement benefits, Abbas takes them on a roller-coaster ride which takes the viewer to London, Kiev, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Dubai, among other exotic locations. It tells the story of double agents, Sparrows (women trained and drafted by the Russians as spies to honey-trap officials) and international racketeers who steal state secrets and live a life of luxury. The story moves at a good pace and the seemingly unrelated espionage plots are woven into a whole after several 'accidental' deaths take place in different parts of the world and a RAW operative goes missing.
Kay Kay Menon is once again in his elements and proves he is one of the most under-rated actors In India. While he is brilliant as the secret agent, he is even better in the scenes where the girl woos him. He actually blushes and is spot on as the man who can kill in a flash but cannot pour his heart out to the girl he loves. Aftab Shivdasani as his friend-cum-partner in an operation is good. Vinay Pathak, Kali Prasad Mukherjee and Parmeet Sethi add an interesting angle to the proceedings with their banter. The dialogues are relevant and loaded, as the one when Abbas says that to understand any event one has to understand the chronology to which Banerjee promptly replies that yes, the government also says that. Special Ops 1.5, with four episodes of 45 minutes each, provides an excellent insight into operations of secret agents and how inter-department rivalry often comes in the way of national security.
