The first season of Sacred Games, broadcast on netflix was a real surprise (see here our review). Indeed, it offered us a faithful and intelligent adaptation of the first part of an Indian river novel, 900 pages, acclaimed by critics around the world. It was also based on a very careful direction, perfect actors, a rich plot, a constant back and forth between the personal history of a crime lord and the history of Asia's largest democracy. It finally ended with two unsolved mysteries: that she was the threat hovering over Mumbai and what was the role of Ganesh Gaitonde (the godfather) in its establishment. The expectations were therefore immense at the end of the second and final season, expectations fulfilled in every way.
A high level of directing and writing
We find in this second season all the qualities observed in the first. The realization is always very neat, the photography very relevant. They enhance a scenario rich in symbols. Color and light accompany an investigation that never ceases to navigate between shadow and light. From the alleys to the ashram, from terrorist cells to meditation gardens, our characters live an initiatory experience where, like Alice, they pass through the mirror. Similarly, the objects of the decor enrich the spiritual, irrational dimension of the story: the strength of the family bond, the innate in the face of the acquired. Then, we find the same charismatic characters, very well played, in the service of an oppressive atmosphere. The novelty of this season is that to the two main protagonists, are added new figures – the impressive Guruji, the inflexible Shahid Khan – while secondary characters – the mysterious Trivedi, Sartaj's father – see their story deepened. These multitudes of narrative frames are very well managed: the story is always easy to follow and the suspense is reinforced. We can only admire all the clues scattered since the 1stepisode to lead us to the final resolution. Sacred Games finally maintains a very high level of writing by leading three stories at the same time : a race against time to stop a hellish machination, two personal quests (that of the policeman and that of the godfather of the underworld) and an immersion in the ills of contemporary India. We must once again salute the excellence of the overall construction that gives us in the first episodes elements that make sense at the end of the story, making credible the itinerary of the characters and the reversals of situation.
Sacred Games : Serving a meaningful plot
This second season brings novelty by transporting us to new universes. First of all, geographical since the investigation of Gaitonde's past takes us to Kenya, Punjab, an ashram exploring the importance of the Indian diaspora. Then spiritual because this second season focuses on religion, its important weight both in the ancient and present history of India. Without revealing important elements of the plot, the series questions the impact of religions, the influence of beliefs on the soul of individuals including those of politicians and businessmen. It also depicts the very strong place of religion in Indian society, a place so significant that it shapes the collective unconscious. Avoiding clichés, the episodes explore the dimensions and scales of this penetration. In doing so, the discourse held by the series is uncompromising and polysemic. It is both fascinating by what it shows, destabilizing by what it says, and terrifying by what it implies. With this spiritual dimension, the second season of Sacred Games manages to close all the plots, to offer us a breathless finale worthy of the best seasons of 24 hours chrono. It also leaves us in a state of uneasiness because its purpose is universal: no folly is more destructive than that which does not adorn the name of God. This season finally deepens the discourse on India. The series is terribly far-sighted on the one hand because it announces before the time the terrible events that shook Mumbai in 2008. On the other hand, she points out, 10 years in advance, the rise of Hindu nationalism and the dangerous links between politics and religion. The book did not take gloves to denounce fundamentalists of all stripes and it is happy to see the series not dilute this strong theme.Finally, the series finally manages to convey another message of the book: the links between India and Pakistan and the absurdity of a division that has divided families. Sacred Games is one of the great series, demanding, intelligent and unique. Based on a very great novel, she manages to offer a grandiose adaptation, a magical betrayal of a dense material, a luminous transposition of an oppressive universe.
