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Special Ops Web Series Review: Kay Kay Menon's Hotstar Show Is A Slow-Burn Thriller
Special Ops, starring Kay Kay Menon, is a slow-burn mystery thriller but a must-watch for his acting.
Available On: Hotstar
Duration: 8 episodes/ 40 minutes
Language: Hindi
Story: Special Ops follows Himmat Singh of Research and Analysis Wing, who is convinced a single person is behind all the terror attacks in India since 2001. After a chase of more than 10 years, his task force team of five agents living in various parts of the world aim to catch the mastermind.
Review: Kay Kay Menon's Hostar web series, is one of the many thrillers on the digital space right now. What sets it apart, is the limited number of episodes and Kay Kay's acting. While the story does not derail directly from the plot, the slow storytelling might be a problem for those who enjoy fast-paced mysteries.
Special Ops is not about Himmat Singh's chase for the criminal who he lost right in front of his eyes, but it's about catching one who could inflict a lot of pain to the country. The makers make it clear in the first episode that the show isn't about a personal victory or revenge but about saving lives.
Himmat is loyal to his country and to his task force, which also means spending more money than any other branch. In the first episode, Himmat is being interrogated by the audit team from internal affairs, while he has to explain every expense on the report, we get to hear the entire story from his point of view. With the lack of a few flashbacks in every episode, it soon gets hard to keep track of the present and past.
Out of the five people in the task force, we only get to hear all about Farroq, played by Karan Tacker. He looks amazing and plays his part well in the show. But it would have been interesting to find out about another agent, who is a docile wife but has kept her agent career hidden from her husband.
There are also several subplots lingering in the show, from India's political standpoint to Himmat's relationship with his wife and an overbearing behaviour for his daughter.
Co-written and co-directed by Neeraj Pandey, the show reminds us of some of his best and worst works. In the first five episodes, we only find out the plan and how it's going with a number of flashbacks which, unfortunately, makes it easier to see all the twists coming. It picks up in the last three episodes but by then, the climax doesn't feel all that much fun.
Certain fight scenes, slow-motion movements and background music are unnecessary and only there to evoke emotions from the audience but, ends up looking out of place.
Overall, the show has some excellent performances worth watching from Kay Kay Menon, who looks stiff as a stone one minute, still manages to show emotions in the other. Other actors including, Vipul Gupta, Muzammil Ibrahim, Saiyami Kher, Meher Vij, Divya Dutta, Vinay Pathak and Sharad Kelkar, look amazing in their roles.
