Sacred Games is an Indian Hindi-language crime thriller streaming television series, produced by Phantom Films for Netflix. It is the first original Indian series commissioned by Netflix and was based on the 2006 novel of the same name by Vikram Chandra. The series premiered on 6 July 2018 and concluded with its second season on 15 August 2019.
| Title | Sacred Games |
|---|---|
| Genre | Crime thriller, neo-noir |
| Based on | Sacred Games by Vikram Chandra (2006) |
| Language | Hindi (with Marathi and English) |
| Original network | Netflix |
| Production | Phantom Films |
| Directors | Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane (Season 1); Anurag Kashyap, Neeraj Ghaywan (Season 2) |
| Showrunner | Vikramaditya Motwane |
| Lead cast | Saif Ali Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Radhika Apte, Pankaj Tripathi, Kalki Koechlin |
| Seasons | 2 |
| Episodes | 16 (8 per season) |
| First aired | 6 July 2018 |
| Final episode | 15 August 2019 |
| Setting | Mumbai |
Overview
The series follows Sartaj Singh, a troubled Mumbai police inspector, who receives a phone call from the long-missing gangster Ganesh Gaitonde, warning him to save the city within 25 days. As Sartaj investigates, the narrative alternates between the present day and Gaitonde's rise through the Mumbai underworld from the late 1970s onward. The story interweaves themes of organised crime, communal politics, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), religion, and the moral decline of the city.
Cast
- Saif Ali Khan as Sartaj Singh
- Nawazuddin Siddiqui as Ganesh Gaitonde
- Radhika Apte as Anjali Mathur, a RAW analyst
- Pankaj Tripathi as Guruji
- Kalki Koechlin as Batya Abelman
- Jatin Sarna as Bunty
- Surveen Chawla as Jojo Mascarenas
- Neeraj Kabi as DCP Parulkar
- Elnaaz Norouzi as Zoya Mirza
- Aamir Bashir as Majid Khan
- Ranvir Shorey as Shahid Khan (Season 2)
Production
Vikramaditya Motwane served as showrunner across both seasons. In the first season, Anurag Kashyap directed the Gaitonde flashback storyline while Motwane directed Sartaj's present-day investigation. For the second season, Neeraj Ghaywan replaced Motwane as co-director alongside Kashyap. The screenplay was developed by Varun Grover, Smita Singh and Vasant Nath, with additional writers including Pooja Tolani and Dhruv Narang. The cinematography was handled by Sylvester Fonseca and Aseem Bajaj. The score for the opening title sequence was composed by Alokananda Dasgupta.
Episodes
Each season consists of eight episodes. The episodes of Season 1 take their titles from concepts in Hindu cosmology, such as Ashwathama, Halahala, Aatapi Vatapi, Brahmahatya, Sarama, Pretakalpa, Rudra and Yayati. Season 2 episodes use titles drawn from religious and philosophical themes, including Matsya, Siduri, Vaayu, Bardo, Apasmara, Azrael, Torino and Radcliffe.
Reception
Season 1 received broadly positive reviews, with critical praise directed at Nawazuddin Siddiqui's portrayal of Gaitonde, the writing, and the direction. The series was noted as a turning point for Indian streaming content, demonstrating that Indian originals could match the production values of international Netflix releases. Season 2 received a more mixed response, with critics finding the Guruji-led storyline less compelling than the gangster narrative of the first season.
Controversies and legal issues
Soon after the release of Season 1, a complaint was filed in Kolkata over the depiction of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, with petitioners alleging that dialogue in the show was offensive to his memory. The matter was raised before the Delhi High Court, which declined to order the removal of the relevant scene. The case contributed to wider public debate in India over the regulation of streaming content, which until then had operated outside the Central Board of Film Certification framework. Discussions arising from the series were among the factors cited in the lead-up to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.
Significance
Sacred Games is widely regarded as a landmark in Indian streaming television. It is credited with opening the Indian market to long-form, adult-oriented serialised drama and prompting major investment by Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ Hotstar and other platforms in original Indian content. The series also brought the work of Vikram Chandra to a mass audience and established Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Pankaj Tripathi as major streaming-era stars.
Related topics
- Vikram Chandra
- Anurag Kashyap
- Vikramaditya Motwane
- Nawazuddin Siddiqui
- Saif Ali Khan
- Pankaj Tripathi
- Phantom Films
- Netflix in India
- Mumbai underworld
- Indian web series
References
- Chandra, Vikram. Sacred Games. HarperCollins, 2006.
- Netflix India press materials on the launch of Sacred Games (2018, 2019).
- Coverage and reviews in The Hindu, The Indian Express, Mint, Scroll.in and Film Companion.