Star Cast: Kay Kay Menon, Tahir Raj Bhasin, Karan Tacker, Saiyami Kher, Muzzamil Ibrahim

Web Series Review: SPECIAL OPS 2 tackles the burning issue of cyber terrorism with a gripping narrative

Director: Neeraj Pandey 

Synopsis:
SPECIAL OPS 2 is the story of cybercrime. In Budapest, Hungary, Dr Piyush Bhargav (Arif Zakaria), who has designed tech systems for the Government of India, attends an AI conference. While exiting the venue, he gets kidnapped despite the security provided to him. Himmat Singh (Kay Kay Menon) of the Research and Analysis Wing is assigned the case. He asks some of his top agents like Farooq Ali (Karan Tacker), Juhi Kashyap (Saiyami Kher), Avinash (Muzzamil Ibrahim) and others to travel across the world and find out who kidnapped Dr Piyush and why. Meanwhile, Himmat’s mentor Subramanyam (Prakash Raj), a retired government official, is under stress after the money he saved for years in PNJ Bank has gone down the drain after it went bankrupt. Subramanyam asks Himmat to help him nab Jignesh Dholakia (Hitesh Dave) of the PNJ Bank before he flies to a country with which India doesn’t have an extradition treaty. On the other hand, Himmat’s family life is in turmoil. What happens next forms the rest of the series. 

Special Ops 2 Story Review:
Neeraj Pandey, Deepak Kingrani and Benazir Ali Fida’s story is in sync with the challenges faced by countries in the present day and age. Neeraj Pandey, Deepak Kingrani and Benazir Ali Fida’s screenplay is very pacy. A lot is happening every minute. However, the writing has a few rough edges in some places. Neeraj Pandey, Deepak Kingrani and Benazir Ali Fida’s dialogues are sharp.

Neeraj Pandey’s direction is splendid. After delivering duds like AURON MEIN KAHAN DUM THA (2024) and SIKANDAR KA MUQADDAR (2024), he’s back on track. What’s interesting is that the conflict is not on one front. Himmat Singh is also under stress as his mentor threatens to go rogue. And if that’s not all, he also has to battle a crisis at home. The way Himmat tackles them all tactfully is the biggest USP of the show. The villain track and his ‘Collector’ trait is novel and enhances interest. A few scenes that stand out are Naresh Chaddha (Parmeet Sethi) and D K Banerjee’s (Kali Prasad Mukherjee) interrogation, Himmat admonishing Farooq over flirting with Harminder (Kamakshi Bhatt), Himmat’s chat with his daughter Pari (Revathi Pillai) in her bedroom, etc. The series ends on a great note.

On the flipside, the writing gets awkward in some places. Abhay Singh (Vikas Manaktala) isn’t equipped with a weapon at the docks and yet is able to defeat and even kill gun-wielding henchmen. Yet, he gives up at the very end without even trying. The makers probably wanted to show that Abhay tried and yet failed, but there was a better way to depict the same. Similarly, the pub empties out as soon as Himmat simply puts his gun on the bar table; this is again unconvincing and difficult to digest, though the moment that follows is sweet. The track of the villain is half-baked. The makers should have shown more on how he stole the vintage vehicle and also what happened later to the Banaras singers. Lastly, the show can get confusing in some places. 

Special Ops 2 Performances:
Kay Kay Menon betters his already fantastic act from the previous two seasons of SPECIAL OPS. He keeps his performance believable yet very entertaining. The scene where he has a very emotional moment with his daughter and quickly gets into a different zone as soon as he steps out of his house is something to be seen to be believed. Interestingly, he has no action scene but the way he calls the shots is also a big USP. Tahir Raj Bhasin (Sudheer) yet again plays the suave villain wonderfully. Karan Tacker, this time, has limited screen time but is impressive. Saiyami Kher, Muzzamil Ibrahim and Vikas Manaktala do well. Arif Zakaria and Vinay Pathak (Aasif Sheikh) lend able support. Prakash Raj is superb as expected and with this character, Neeraj Pandey, it seems, pays a homage to Naseeruddin Shah’s act in A WEDNESDAY [2008]. Hitesh Dave is over the top and yet, it works for his part. Kamakshi Bhatt, Ashutosh Shukla (Sahil; Himmat’s junior in the office), Gautami Kapoor (Saroj) and Tota Roy Choudhury (Vinod Shekhawat) leave a tremendous mark. Parmeet Sethi and Kali Prasad Mukherjee add a lot to the show yet again and this time, their track offers a little more than expected. Behzaad Khan (Altaf; ISI officer) and Dalip Tahil (Virendra Bakshi) lend able support. Shikha Talsania (Ruhani) has a very late entry but makes up for it with her act. Darren E Scott (Zhang) and Harish Khatri (Defence Minister) are fair. Miklós Szentváry-Lukács (Chris) and Lili Sára Rács (Chris’ sister) manage to surprise, especially in the action scene in their residence. 

Special Ops 2 music and other technical aspects:
Advait Nemlekar’s music adds to the tension and heroism elements. The ghazal ‘Sajaniya Yaad Aaye‘ is catchy. Arvind Singh and Dimo Popov’s cinematography is breathtaking, especially of the foreign locales. Abbas Ali Moghul, László Kósa and Irakli Sabanaoze’s action is exciting and not very gory. Mandar Nagaonkar’s production design is classy. Falguni Thakore’s costumes are realistic and stylish in the case of Tahir. Raj VFX Pvt Ltd’s VFX is satisfactory. Praveen Kathikuloth’s editing is appropriate. 

Special Ops 2 Review Conclusion:
On the whole, SPECIAL OPS 2 tackles the burning issue of cyber terrorism with a gripping narrative and stellar performances. Leading the charge is Kay Kay Menon, who delivers what could easily be considered the finest performance of his illustrious career. With its high-octane storytelling and immense popularity, the new season is poised to strike a chord and is bound to be lapped up by audiences.

 Rating – 3.5 stars

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