Fleeeks

I was never a huge Dev Patel fan and I'm still not after watching this movie, but if there was any doubt about his acting talent he's put it to rest here by pulling off a "tough guy" role convincingly, despite his bookish appearance.

As for Radhika Apte, I've always found her exceptionally talented and she's no different in this movie. She brings a realism to her roles like no other actress who comes to mind. I can say without any exaggeration that every performance of hers that I've watched has been Oscar-worthy. I'm certain she'll get there someday, given the right opportunity.

About the movie, the best compliment I can give it is: I was never bored. The director uses a light-handed approach and never gets in the way, everything plays out in a natural, realistic manner. Even parts of the story that should be high-points don't really grab you by the gut, this I think, stopped the movie from being memorable in any way. A crime-adventure-thriller that plays out like a slice of life movie. Also, the story doesn't seem to want to go anywhere exceptional or evoke anything more than a casual interest from the viewer. It's a decent casual watch but if you want a high octane crime drama that'll blow your socks off, look elsewhere.

Sacred Games is a decent watch though the 9+ rating is undeserved for the series as a whole.

The weakest part of the series is the story is all over the place, it tries to do too much and you don't really care for the most part what happens to the people involved.

With that said, the series is directed very proficiently, the cinematography is excellent and though it's not extremely high budget stuff I have absolutely no complaints on the technical front.

The strongest thing going for Sacred Games is the multiple stellar performances. Siddiqui is brilliant and so damn charismatic. There's no amount of praise that could suffice for Radhika Apte's performance. It's worthy of an Academy Award, I have seldom encountered any actor, male or female, give such a natural performance. Saif, to his credit, doesn't come off as a flashy movie star and gives a solid performance as a humble cop. Did they have to dress him up in skin tight clothes for every scene though? In any case, it's an endearing performance, he was one of the few characters I empathized with. Even the actor who plays Saif's deputy gives a brilliant performance, there is literally no bad or unnatural performance to be found, even the bit actors are good.

Another strong point is the action, interesting events occur throughout and no episode is boring. I have no problem with vulgarity or gore but at times found that these things (especially the swearing) was used as a crutch in a misguided attempt to keep things spicy and "realistic," when you do too much of something it kinda loses its impact.

Sacred Games is a decent watch, not bad for a weekend binge, but that's all it is. A coherent, more interesting and focused storyline, carried by such a brilliant cast could have been something exceptional. But it's heartening to see the level of proficiency the Indian film industry has reached. The future is bright indeed, laudey!

There was nothing new or revealing in this documentary for anyone who is even reasonably conversant with the news.

The one thing that stood out for me was the lady who worked at the fire department. There was no mistaking her caliber. It's people like her who lead humble lives but walk head and shoulders above the rest of us. They go about their days doing what most of us would find physically and emotionally draining to do even once, expecting nothing in return but the joy of helping another.

There are no words to express how much respect and affection I felt for this strong, selfless stranger.