Critics, audience slam 'Sacred Games 2' for shallow, anti-Pakistan plot line

Second season is a shameless attempt to malign the country’s reputation without offering much aesthetic value

The much-awaited Saif Ali Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui-starrer has had quite a huge following in Pakistan. Sacred Games season one received praises (and some comparisons to crime thriller Narcos) for its gritty themes and gripping screenplay.

The show is India’s first production for Netflix and the series is based on a namesake novel, co-directed by Vikramaditya Motwane and Anurag Kashyap.

Sartaj Singh (Khan) stumbles upon a criminal mastermind Ganesh Gaitonde’s (Siddiqui) cataclysmic ploy that threatens to destroy all of Mumbai. The show revolves around Singh following Gaironde’s cryptic directions to save the city from an impending doom.

PHOTO: NETFLIX

The first season saw politicians and gangsters use religion to trigger divisive politics that eventually leads to chaos and violence in the city. It ended on a cliffhanger as Singh comes across a major breakthrough in his investigation of Gaitonde’s claims and even more secrets.

Unsurprisingly, those secrets turned out to be a sheer ploy to propagate anti-Muslim and anti-Pakistan sentiment. The second season that was released on August 15 not only maligns the reputation of Pakistan and its security agencies but critics and audiences have unanimously concluded that show doesn’t offer much; thematically and aesthetically.



"There is little to appreciate in this season of Sacred Games. Even the performances appear strangely detached, with Saif Ali Khan deliberately playing down his character's tensions to let his arch rival scream through a role that grows progressively sociopathic. Gaitonde's foul language gets tiring after a while," an Indian critic Subhash K Jha for IANS summed up Sacred Games season 2.

"Everything that was apparently appreciated in the first season has been amplified in the second season. There is more darkness spreading itself out from the characters' hearts into the farthest distance of this series' godforsaken horizon," he added.

PHOTO: NDTV

Jha concluded his thoughts about the latest season by saying, "There is way too much happening on screen in this season. The violence that undercuts and defines the drama is purposely overbearing. Mumbai is finally saved. I am not too sure about the series."

Given the current tensions between India and Pakistan over Kashmir, many felt the story line has been intentionally crafted to aid an anti-Pakistan narrative. Social media users took to twitter to call out the makers for their hypocrisy.

Social media ablaze with criticism

"Indian directors and producers can never miss any chance to malign about Pakistan and Sacred Games 2 is no exception, it is all against our intelligence agency," a user shared on Twitter.

"Completely ruined the story, plot of Sacred Games season 2. Writers only task was to go against Muslims and Pakistan. Another GOT S8 in the making," wrote another one.

"Sacred Games season 2 has focused on proving that Pakistan is behind all the terrorist attacks in India. Also not the same thrill as season 1. Disappointed," another user added.

"I had planned to watch the season 2 of Sacred Games but everyone has confirmed that they have blamed Pakistan for bomb attacks, so I am not watching it. Though I believe that music, entertainment, culture has no boundaries," a user penned.

"I was excited about Sacred Games season 2 because it’s a Netflix original but two episodes in, it’s the same ol’ narrative of Pakistan trying to blow up Bombay in a nuclear attack. Indians are obsessed with us," said one Twitter user.

Makers of the show had earlier revealed that the Vikram Chandra’s novel will end by the completion of the second season. And may we just say good riddance.

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