The Freelancer

Ok, so the series is a solid entertainment. Outstanding storytelling, the thrill and suspense, emotions. Everything is top notch. It has written Neeraj Pandey all over it. Fast paced yet so realistic. Damn, this man knows how to cook spy thriller elements properly. Once you start watching you would definitely wanna binge watch all of the episodes. But that's where comes the brilliant minds of Hotstar. I seriously don't understand what are they trying to do. Just give us all the episodes at once. Or if you wanna wait then give us a 1 month window. But NO, hell they didn't even give us release the date for the last three episodes.

After watching all the episodes i can say that it was beautifully presented. There aren't any unnecessary cringy action sequences like many other spy thrillers. The suspense was well cooked and the plot was interesting. If you love spy action thriller then it's must watch..

It is not your regular OTT masala..it has got a new take to the regular action and spy stuff.we have a good storyline which takes whole another level with some superb acting from a bunch of very talented actors,excellent pace of the story,top notch background score and last but not the least the "Syrian setup".yes the set is so realistic it feels at times that you are in Syria. This is a must watch but disappoints with only 4 episodes released for the time being leaving the audience on a cliffhanger.

Mohit raina is a perfect fit for the role supported very well by Anupam kher.proper family drama with no useless OTT masala of useless sex scenes,drug/alcohol abuse or forced LGBT characters.

It was very nice to see a webseries full of action, geopolistrategic ploy and engaging visuals. Mohit raina did superb in his role of The Freelancer.

My only disappointment is that Only 4 episodes were made available to stream as of now, not the full webseries with all it's episodes. It would be a great binge worthy stuff for nightowls like me. But the team seems more concerned about the monetary benefits than its popularity and chance of being one of its kind power genre show. And why don't they provide us with the information about expected release date of the remaining episodes of the webseries.

Bottom line - Definitely an entertaining and solid show. Release of all parts altogether would make it even better.

The Freelancer/ ex Cop Avinash Kamath (Mohit Raina) is a mercenary who specialises in covert operations. He is bound by a promise made to his colleague and dear friend Inayat Khan (Sushant Singh) to watch out for his wife and daughter in case he dies in the call of duty.

Years later controversial suicide of Inayat Khan brings Avinash back home only to find that Inayat's suicide was a call for help to rescue his daughter Alia who's been forcefully taken to Syria by her husband and in-laws to join the ISIS.

It is now Avinash's mission to bring Alia home safely.

What I loved:

The Freelancer is gripping and you just cannot stop watching episode after episode. It keeps you on the edge. It's extremely well researched and the minutest details are paid attention to.

It's beautifully shot. There's a scene where Avinash is aboard a helicopter for a mission in Afghanistan, you can see Avinash and his team in the helicopter and also the shadow of the helicopter, falling on the ground, moving along with them; just signifies that these men also live in the shadows.

Superlative performance by Mohit Raina, he exudes the softness of a doting uncle and the brutal force of a rough tough cop so effortlessly. He balances indifference and concern in his performance so brilliantly.

Kashmira Pardesi as Alia portrays vulnerability beautifully and immediately makes you feel protective about her. Your heart breaks looking at her innocence. The scene I loved the most is when she's crying after being raped by her husband and as she wipes her tears away and you see determination and grit in those dove like eyes albeit fleetingly. She's sinf-e-aahan, woman of steel.

Balaji Gauri as Farhat Khala is absolutely brilliant. She totally creeps you out and makes you feel absolutely uncomfortable. Her eyes are so powerful you actually feel she can see through your mind.

Anupam Kher as Dr Khan, Freelancers handler is the calm that controls the storm.

Ayesha Raza and Manjiri Phadnis are endearing, especially as mothers. A few scenes are difficult to watch as a parent. They leave you numb.

What I absolutely hated was that after building the momentum and almost reaching the crescendo Disney Hotstar keeps you hanging for a season 2. A series like this deserves a season in its entirety as the time interval for the next season dilutes the impact. When the audience invest so much in a series, they deserve a closure too. It's unfair to both the audience and the makers.

On par with special ops ... great story, cinematography, locations , no nonsense and way better than main stream Bollywood directors... Neeraj Pandy never disappoints...eagerly waiting for remaining episodes.

Great casting with no nonsense over acting and anupam kher is cherry on top Sound track could have been more aggressive but not bad at all.

Some situations are over dramatized compared to reality.. the story so far is well built keeping the audience well engaged and on the edge Would have been great if Neeraj pandey can create his character universe and utilize them like marvel Would be great to bring himmat singh :):)