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Indian Express
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Neeraj Pandey's spy universe expands with Special Ops Season 2: ‘The unsung hero is the reason…'
Neeraj Panday has made a career out of spy thrillers, whether it's his films Baby (2015), Naam Shabana (2017), and Aiyaary (2018) or his Jio Hotstar show Special Ops, whose second season premieres on July 11. 'There are such unheard stories in the domain that it naturally becomes a magnet for any storyteller,' said Panday at the trailer launch of Special Ops season 2 in Mumbai on Monday. 'The unsung hero also becomes the primary reason because the missions are covert and under plausible denial. Not many in the audience are aware of these adventures,' he added. 'I didn't think it would become so big when I did season 1. Nobody is so narcissistic to think so. Once season 1 came out, we realised it has a longer life,' said Kay Kay Menon, who plays Himmat Singh, a senior R&AW officer in Special Ops. A post shared by SCREEN (@ieentertainment) In season 2, the show assumes an additional layer of thematic resonance in the form of a cyber threat. Kay Kay admitted, unlike his character, he's far from a tech geek. 'I'm not even in the KG class of anything to do with cyber. I don't know anything about it. To play Himmat Singh, who knows all about it, is quite a task. I'm so bad at tech that if I want to post on social media, I've to ask my team how to do that,' admitted Kay Kay. Tahir Raj Bhasin enters the franchise as the chief antagonist in season 2. 'Joining a franchise is like coming into the hostel as a new entrant. Everyone knows each other. The first few days are tough, but you have to gel and get into the part very quickly,' said Tahir. On his role of a 'business tycoon who runs a tech mafia,' Tahir added, 'I was blown away by how unpredictable, layered, and contemporary he is. He doesn't need muscle. He just has control over data. It opens up several questions about what is intelligence and national security today.' While Tahir is the new entrant, favourites from season 1 return too. Vinay Pathak said he's lucky to have made it to season 2 as Delhi Police officer Abbas, given co-director Shivam Nair had plans to kill his character in season 1 itself. 'Shivam Nair called me before season 1 and asked, 'Abbas ko maar de?' But he's given me a new lease of life. I'm still in the same costume, haven't gotten promoted, and am still riding the same bike across Delhi. I don't mind not getting promoted as long as they keep fuelling my bike and I keep doing Special Ops,' quipped Pathak. Karan Tacker also returns as spy Farooq Ali, who was seen getting abducted in Nepal at the end of Special Ops 1.5. 'Neeraj sir has a typical way of writing the screenplay. There are 3-4 lines and then 'action' written in all caps and with exclamation marks. You feel, 'Achha itna hi hai.' Cut to: You're rehearsing for eight days and shooting for two days for one action piece. That is Neeraj Panday for you,' said Tacker. Watch | Special Ops 2 trailer: India faces UPI data theft threat and Kay Kay Menon is the only one who can save us now Both Tacker and Saiyami Kher said they have a gripe with the makers: they want to share screen space with Kay Kay Menon. 'Unfortunately, wo India mein baith ke boring kaam karte hain aur hum duniya ghoomte hain while he gives instructions on phone. Hopefully, Kay Kay sir comes with us in the next season and we get to work with him on field,' said Kher. She'll return as agent Juhi in season 2, and is glad that she gets to do a lot of action as a female spy. 'For women, there are certain roles which people don't write and you wonder why. But even before Special Ops, what Neeraj sir did with Taapsee Pannu in Baby stood out for me. I hadn't seen anything like that in Indian cinema before. I love doing action. I love beating up guys. That's what women feel like on the inside when guys tease them on the streets. I'm just happy he gave me that opportunity,' said Kher. She claimed that Special Ops season 1 set the tone for her filmography in the last five years. 'After the little action I did in the first season, I've played a cop (Jaat), a firefighter (Agni), a cricketer (Ghoomer). Only a pilot and someone from the Navy is left. I've got to play such fiery women in the last five years, which are rarely written for women. I'm very grateful he had two women agents in season 1,' added Kher.
India Today
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
Blending style with substance: Evolving language of espionage in storytelling
Hindi cinema has recently seen a boom in the spy genre. From Salman Khan's 'Ek Tha Tiger' (2012) kickstarting the origins of Yash Raj Films' spy universe, to Neeraj Pandey's 'Baby' (2015) and 'Naam Shabana' (2017), the espionage saga in films and shows has evolved over the years. With Pandey's grounded storytelling or YRF's 'Mission Impossible'-inspired thrillers with a Bond-like flair in the spy genre, the genre has created a new cinematic wave in Hindi cinema. However, when it comes to films and shows, the audiences have grown to appreciate much more than gadgets, glitz and glamour over the years. Where is this genre heading, though? Is it all style and mass, but no meat? spoke to the industry experts to understand more about the genre and where it is thinking of espionage stories, a larger-than-life spectacle often comes into the picture. There has been a template in terms of storytelling in the genre by blending jingoism with the commercial elements of mainstream Bollywood. These stereotypes have now been broken with the OTT boom. Audiences are now rooting for more grounded and relatable characters and are not going to settle for mere style over recent teaser of Hrithik Roshan, Jr NTR, Kiara Advani's much-hyped 'War 2' has created a lot of buzz since it was launched. The action-thriller from Aditya Chopra's spy universe is a spin-off to 'Tiger 3' and 'Pathaan' while depicting similar chase sequences, hand-to-hand combat, aerial wire-work action, explosions, beach shots and musical sequences. In spite of movie buffs raving about the upcoming grand spectacle, it is worth noting that some previous big-budget films were mounted on the same yardstick. Despite the moderate or disappointing fate of these films, Bollywood filmmakers still stick to similar formulaic storytelling. At a time when not just OTT platforms but social media and podcast channels have also become an alternative to content consumption, it is crucial to retrospect the future of cinema and the much-needed evolution in film genres and the age of algorithms and market economics, where there is a reel for every teaser and trailer, the X-factor in storytelling needs to come from unique, layered characters and relatable stories, irrespective of the genres. With growing conversations around the future of theatrical releases, it is pivotal to also consider the changing preferences and content consumption habits of audiences. Movie lovers exposed to not just Hindi and English shows, but K-Dramas, Iranian and other languages' cinema are not going to have the same approach towards movie viewing as in earlier shows like 'The Family Man,' 'Special Ops,' 'Mukhbir - The Story of a Spy' and 'The Freelancer' paved the way for more nuanced, research-based stories, do mainstream Hindi filmmakers also need to evolve in their storytelling? On being asked whether the Indian audiences have become more discerning towards the spy genre post the OTT revolution, 'Mukhbir' writer Vaibhav Modi says, "In the pre-OTT era, we did not have too much exposure to that genre. A little bit of that kind of storytelling was there in the American shows, but not many people had access to it. But, if you look at that genre over the last few years, starting with 'Special Ops,' 'Bard of Blood' and 'The Family Man.' So, it has definitely given exposure to Indian audiences."advertisementFilmmaker Siddharth P Malhotra, however, feels that the Hindi film audiences haven't been discerning towards spy films as there have been many such stories being backed by studios like YRF. He says, "Spy content is still very popular on films and streaming platforms. There are an entire spy universe content-based films which are coming out.""Even Alia Bhatt and Sharvari are coming up with a spy film ('Alpha'). So, producers wouldn't be willing to back such movies if it were a discerning audience. If you get it right in terms of the flow, you will always enjoy it. The plot needs to be engaging enough for it not to be discerning. As a genre, it will never go out of fashion," he Gul Panag, who has acted in 'The Family Man', feels that there has been a shift in the audiences' ability to filter content since the OTT boom. She says, "Since the last 4–5 years, the audiences have been discerning towards not just spy content but all kinds of genres. They have been exposed to content from across the world. The viewers have been consuming films and shows available in many different languages. There has also been a shift in their ability to filter content dramatically."advertisementWatch War 2 teaser here: The virality of content and the bridging of language barriers in the current OTT era have also shaped how traditional audiences prefer watching films. Apart from engaging storytelling, is it also time for more research-oriented, nuanced filmmaking when it comes to spy genres? In spite of the charismatic on-screen personas of mainstream stars, does the Hindi film audience also expect character-led espionage films? Are producers willing to back such stories?While reflecting on the same, Modi says, "I would think so because one of the trends has been picking stories from real-life incidents. The other thing is making content from published material. There are a bunch of books out there that are based on declassified information from RAW (Research and Analysis Wing) and IB (Information Bureau). This medium allows time to develop research-based content."The writer also feels the long-form format of storytelling in the spy genres gives them more creative freedom in comparison to films. He further says, "This format of telling a story over eight or ten odd episodes gives you the ability to develop more characters and world-building compared to films where you are only going after one plot. Obviously, producers and writers have gone deeper in terms of geopolitical aspects of a story. In 'Mukhbir', we actually had to create the era where India's relationship with Pakistan was a certain way. We did a lot of deep research related to it."advertisementMalhotra, on the other hand, stresses the need to back writers apart from making projects based on big stars. He says, "If it is a real-life espionage story, then it is better. So, you need a big star and a big setup. Instead of backing stories, producers don't back writers in our film industry; they back stars. I am talking about barring Aditya Chopra, there is no other producer who is going to back the writers."Panag, while weighing on the same, feels that the backing has to come from the platforms. She says, "The producers are certainly open. The backing, however, has to come from platforms. At the end of the day, the numbers are on the platform, and they decide which shows to greenlight."The espionage genre in Indian cinema is not just about nationalism and high-octane action, but also concerns cross-border terrorism and geopolitics. With streaming platforms adapting to more realism and current events, it is imperative for mainstream cinema to also consider the changing trends. The cinematic experience doesn't just have to be about stunts and grand-VFX, but also set a narrative that compliments ongoing politics, national security threats, global terrorism and secret service agencies. Will the success of shows like 'The Family Man' or 'The Freelancer' impact the kind of spy films Bollywood greenlights in the next few years?advertisementPanag points out the diversity in the spy genre on OTT platforms and how the success of these shows depends on the audiences' response. She says, "Espionage is not only 007-style spy stories. That is what big blockbusters have been feeding us. But there have been lots of examples on streaming platforms like 'Jack Ryan,' 'Fauda' and others that have handled the narrative differently. There was this show with Sasha Baren Cohen ('The Spy'), based on a true story as well. The success of these stories, however, also depends on how well they have been received by the viewers."Watch Special Ops 2 teaser here: The future of spy stories largely depends on the ever-changing content-consumption pattern of audiences. Will movie-goers be more inclined towards masala entertainers, musical espionage thrillers, blending 'James Bond' with 'Dhoom'-inspired glamour and gadgets? Or has there been a revolutionary change in the cinematic preferences of film lovers?What is the future of spy stories in Hindi cinema? Panag feels there will always be a theatrical market. However, the actor credits OTT platforms for democratising content. She says, "OTT platforms in today's times have democratised content consumption. I will still go and watch Mission Impossible on the 1st day. So, there will always be a theatrical market apart from OTT platforms. And I don't think the two will cannibalise each other. The consumer is now king and the content creators have to work harder to get a piece of their attention. Earlier, the content was skewed in favour of the supply-side films that were released theatrically and, of course, the content we viewed on traditional television. But today there is a much larger choice and so scope for everyone."Theatrical releases are here to stay irrespective of the rise of streaming shows. The espionage genre - YRF's universe or the Bond franchise - will always appeal to the masses. However, the success and longevity of such stories will only be cinematically relevant if they resonate with the evolving mindset of audiences. Both mainstream films and OTT releases will have to bring a certain novelty and uniqueness to storytelling with a combination of realistic narrative apart from visual appeal in order to ensure audience fate of 'War 2,' 'Alpha,' 'Special Ops 2' and 'The Family Man 3' will define the future course of such films and Watch
Time of India
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Shibani Dandekar opens up on Rhea Chakraborty's struggles:"She survived it in the most beautifully stunning way"
Bollywood actress has often spoken about the tough phase she went through after the death of her boyfriend, . Her close friend supported her through it all. In a recent interview, Rhea and Shibani talked about their 16-year-long friendship. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Shibani shared that it hurts her to see how Rhea had to grow up so fast because of the pain she went through. She praised Rhea for handling the tough journey in a strong and graceful way. Shibani Dandekar said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, that Rhea Chakraborty had to grow up quickly because of the tough times she went through. 'I do feel as though it was a journey that no one could have predicted, and it was definitely difficult. Definitely painful. And she survived it in the most beautifully stunning way. It was- I don't even know how to put it into words- but it was tough. I think that for someone as strong as her, it just added an extra layer of strength that maybe she will have now for the rest of her life." Shibani reflects on Rhea's struggles Further, Shibani shared that the difficult experiences Rhea Chakraborty faced were incredibly tough, and she believes no one should have to go through something like that. She added that while it's hard to say if those challenges were for the better, it's simply how things turned out. Rhea on Shibani's unwavering support Rhea praised Shibani for being her strongest support during her toughest times. She said Shibani showed her the true meaning of friendship, pure, unconditional, and without expectations, restoring her faith in humanity. Rhea and Shibani's professional updates On the work front, Rhea Chakraborty is currently appearing as one of the gang leaders on Roadies XX. Meanwhile, Shibani Dandekar has worked in 'Paris Paris', 'Naam Shabana', 'Shaandaar', 'Roy', etc. Rhea Chakraborty Opens Up About Healing Journey On Instagram
