I read this book over ten years ago when it was published; it’s a long and complicated book that captured my attention for more than a month. After Netflix announced that the book would be adapted into a series, I eagerly looked forward to watching it. Generally, adaptations from books disappoint me but I continue to hope! I was impressed with the production value when the trailer released and I watched season one over three days. Same for season two; there is something about the story that grabs your attention and you just have to find out what is going on!
The story resolves around a Mumbai gangster, Ganesh Gaitonde, and a low-energy, “not going anywhere in his career” cop, Sartaj Singh, played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Saif Ali Khan, respectively. Their worlds collide when Gaitonde calls Singh to warn of an impending disaster that will destroy the city. Each episode continues the story in the present, and also fills in the history of how Gaitonde became a gangster – basically a lot of gangster stuff, as you would expect. Many Indian movies spotlight the connection between organized crime and its connection to the entertainment industry, but this version is not a romanticized Bollywood version – season one in particular was extremely violent. I believe the censors may have forced a toning down for season two.
On one level the story is about crime and unraveling the mystery of Gaitonde’s life. In season two however, the story takes a turn when Gaitonde’s connection with a cult-like group is explored. Gaitonde’s new guru believes his purpose is to create strife and ultimately destruction to clear the way for the next peaceful era in world history. Predictably, the strife is created between India and Pakistan. Given recent events in Kashmir, this doesn’t seem as far-fetched as it did a few years ago when I read the book or even when I watched season one. The concept is also frightening as it reflects a lot of recent events created by social media manipulation and misinformation in the U.S. and Europe.
After watching season two, I became aware of the symbolism and mythology incorporated into the story, which I hadn’t noticed when reading the book or when watching season one. After reading the Mahabharat between season one and season two, I managed to get some of these references. It’s not my area of expertise, so I’ll bypass trying to explain the symbolism, but it left me very curious about how Indian and non-Indian audiences view this series. On an international level of symbolism, the idea of manipulating countries to start a war could very well apply to any number of news events lately. Regardless of which symbolism you get from the series, there is a lot to think about.
Netflix’s global expansion has at times seemed unsustainable to me but as an Indophile, I’m delighted that Netflix is promoting Indian content and allowing it to remain Indian in nature. Nawazuddin Siddiqui has done several gangster roles such as Gangs of Wasseypur – very much worth watching if you have the time commitment. My biggest surprise after countless disappointments of the depiction of characters from books to movies (Tom Hanks in The Da Vinci Code is one example), was Saif Ali Khan’s portrayal of Sartaj Singh – it was like he grabbed the character right out of my brain! The series was nominated for this year’s International Emmy Awards, which I hope will draw attention to Indian content to a larger audience outside of India.
For any readers that think Indian content is only love stories and dancing, this series presents a very different look of India! Whether good or bad in your mind, India has a lot more to show us if we pay attention.
Moksha World 
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