Hotstar Special Ops Review: Watch Kay Kay Excel in Binge Gripping Episodes
Special Ops Story: When a set of R&AW officials are asked to create an audit report of Himmat Singh’s “miscellaneous” expenses, a nineteen-year-old theory finally sees a glimmer of light.
Neeraj Pandey’s ‘Special Ops’ web series opens with the 2001 attack on the Parliament of India, which fast forward to an internal inquiry into RAW agent Himmat Singh (Kay Kay Menon, from Shaurya), who begins to unfold, the sequences one after another, flashback and present to the Interrogating Officers.
The story of Anti-Terrorist Squad Senior Officer Himmat’s pursuit to nab dreaded international terrorists with the alias of Ikhlaq Khan —spending vast financial and asset resources on his team of 5 agents spread across Asia.
Himmat firmly believes that Ikhlaq is the mastermind behind the Indian Parliament attack and several more across India. But, no one believes Himmat. With no outcomes over the years from his covert operations despite money being spent, the investigators force Himmat to narrate what exactly he’s been up to with the millions he’s misused on chasing a ghost called Ikhlaq.
The interrogation room acts as the gateway to introducing Special Opps supporting cast and takes the viewers into Himmat’s past. Amongst the former, we’ve Delhi Police cop Abbas Sheikh (Vinay Pathak, from Bheja Fry) who becomes close to Himmat post-2001.
Then Himmat’s team of five: the Dubai-based Farooq Ali (Karan Tacker, from Ek Hazaaron Mein Meri Behna Hai), the Tehran-based “housewife” Ruhani Syed Khan (Meher Vij, from Secret Superstar), the Istanbul-based chef Balakrishna Reddy (Vipul Gupta, from K. Street Pali Hill), the Baku-based sniper Avinash (Muzzamil Ibrahim, from Dhokha), and the always-traveling Juhi Kashyap (Saiyami Kher, from Mirzya).
Farooq, who is handpicked by Himmat is the only character who is strongly established by the director in the narration of the story, with other supporting casts role just adding a little bit of masala into the episodes one after another.
Though the major amount of time is spent within the four walls of Himmat ( Kay Kay Menon) office, interrogation room, and his home, the director has done well to keep the action element alive by weaving with Himmat narration of his past and how he continues to work to catch the international terrorist.
It is worth watching if you like the cat and mouse relationship between intelligence officers and terrorists who are elusive. There are moments between Kay Kay Menon and his wife and his child which adds to the emotion and drama to the ever-busy, concerned office Himmat.
It is also good to watch Kay Kay Menon after The Ghazi Attack, where he plays a submarine naval officer.
The climax is quite engaging and how they avert a major bomb blast is well pictured. The 8 episodes ‘Special Ops’ is streaming currently in Hotstar.
We just Binged this and believe us, this is probably the best Secret service show made in India after Family man. Kay Kay Menon is at his best.