Come Independence Day and everything and everyone around just goes super patriotic. This was not the case before the advent of social media and various sarkari campaigns to mark the occasion. It used to be a very routine day. Flag hoisting, getting couple of laddoos and come back home to watch reruns of any classic on the good old Doordarshan. Now the OTT platforms have also embraced this change and the result is Saare Jahan Se Accha and Salakaar.
Available on Netflix and Jio Hotstar, both the shows are about – you guessed it right, its about our not so friendly neigbour Pakistan and its nuclear programme.
Since Salakaar was available first, I will start with this show which travels back and forth in time. It shows how the agent Adheer Dayal (Naveen Kasturia) back then sabotaged Pakistan’s nuclear programme. The same agent is now heading the intelligence unit and trying to find out Pakistan’s nuclear strategy now with the help of agent Mariam (Mouni Roy) who honey traps a Pakistani Colonel.
While the plot does sound very interesting, its the execution that leaves a bad taste. The first part set in 1978 is indeed very gripping with General Zia (Mukesh Rishi) and his attempts to make Pakistan a nuclear state, its the present day story that just doesn’t hold. The five-episode series can be watched even if you are swiping on your mobile.
Saare Jahan Se Accha on Netflix definitely is better of the two. It has good actors, good direction and better script too. This six-episode series has Pratik Gandhi playing Vishnu Shankar who is sent to Pakistan to unearth their nuclear programme. Sunny Hinduja plays Pakistani army office Murtuza Malik who tries his best to counter Indian plans.
Unlike Salakaar, where its female agent who is leading the operations, the female actors dont have much to do. Kritika Kamra does have some scenes towards the end, but thats about it. Tilotma Shome as Vishnu’s wife feels wasted. The scenes between the couple also don’t come out well. Pratik Gandhi has that awkward look on his face when he with his wife.
Surprisingly, it is not Pratik Gandhi who wins the show. Its Sunny Hinduja and Suhail Nayyar who plays Rafiq. Because we have already seen Gandhi in Scam, he feels a bit out of place as a spy. There is a scene where he orders a martini and I was like – WTF!!!.
Unlike a K K Menon or Manoj Bajpayee, who suit the role of a spy or intelligence officer, Gandhi just doesn’t look the part. Hinduja on the other hand is miles ahead of Gandhi, as is Nayyar.