The Terminal List: Dark Wolf Rises

Intense and gripping!

Deceptive and shocking!

Scary and pacy!

A tight and crisp prequel that can't be any better.

Inducted into covert operations after being ripped off from his dedicated brotherhood of Navy Seals on grounds of disciplinary actions, Benjamin 'Ben' Edwards, gradually discovers the intricately dark yet strategically concealed side of international intelligence. Working apparently surreptitiously to protect his nation in a joint effort with another espionage agency, the collaboration gets a jolt when a carefully planned operation goes haywire. Tasked with intercepting and countering threats that have the potential to destabilize the world order in terms of nuclear power, retaliations are felt a bit too immediate as well as improbably fast! Inflicting damages to the team not only in terms of casualties, but their morals are also shaken with a sense of distrust clouding the minds of Ben and several members of the unit that are left breathing. With enemies striking hard and fast and those trusted appearing to switch allegiance, the motive and the path chosen suddenly become a bit less simple than what that was promised at the start.

Will Ben be able to trace the truth out of the web of lies and deceit? Will he be able to keep the mind steady in the world where trust gives way to cause that proves dangerously personal? Can he avenge the lives that are lost or will the revelations be shaping him anew?

The viewers of the primary series might take a rough guess but might brace themselves for a twist as well, as though the series means to reveal the character of Ben but the better part of unraveling him is left for the audience to ruminate². This keeps the show enthralling and I must say that I liked the intensity that remains consistent and the gripping thrill that I personally feel, surpasses the primary immensely.

The boldly rebellious demeanour of Taylor Kitsch fascinatingly contrasted with the grimly deceptive looks of Robert Wisdom that elevated the thrill of the drama to greater heights with a solid support from Tom Hopper with his impeccable portraiture of the ruthlessly disciplined fighter.

Based on characters created by Jack Carr, this origin story, is therefore, recommended as a thrilling, if not impressively engrossing watch.

Special Ops 2: Seven days Served!

A threat to the nation, another emergency - internal and escalating and a very personal crisis in his family, Himmat Singh must handle all these three simultaneously!

When a scientist, holding the keys to all the strategic gateways, gets kidnapped and a R&AW agent killed, in different locations but around the same moment, the presence of a link between the two is quite evident to Himmat, but apprehending the criminal behind, seems a completely new ball game.

Add to this is the hunt for a fugitive banker, the man behind ruining several who believed, driving the believers now towards vengeance, caring less for further collateral damages that might follow!

Seven episodes.

Seven days to achieve his target.....

And his own problems to solve!

This can only be handled by Kay Kay Menon (as Himmat Singh) with a characteristic composure that assures but with the ruthless spontaneity of the character that frighteningly appeals. With his band of associates, both internal and foreign, Himmat Singh must fight the enemy at the gate and one outside with his own family, held at a crucial crossroad that threatens to destroy whatever preciously private he had always carefully tried to keep secured.

While Kay Kay Menon is natural in his role as Himmat Singh, so is Vinay Pathak as SI Abbas Sheikh of Delhi Police, the deceptively inconspicuous investigator in the force, radiating a supreme confidence in his enviable knack of sniffing out information from the coldest of trails. Both Pathak and Menon steal the scenes, wherever present by keeping the sequences intense while lacing them with humour, whenever the slightest of opportunities warrants. Added to this, is the chemistry, on the screen, crafted with measured elegance by Gautami Kapoor (as Saroj) with Menon, which adds drama and will surely warrant deserving credit.

With a script (Neeraj Pandey, Deepak Kingrani, Benazir Ali Fida) composed crisply for the correct touch of verbal requirement in a season, based on actions and subtle expressions primarily, the suspense is heightened by the haunting melody of Advait Nemlekar that sets the thrill triggered right from the very beginning.

However, there are a few flaws! The least of them is the not-so-surprising finale of so gripping string of episodes. Thus, the directors (Neeraj Pandey, Shivam Nair) peak their achievement in yet another brilliantly designed "Wednesday" (S2E6) but the zeal is lost in the action-primed climactic cliché of "Thursday" (S2E7) with the thrill subsiding. Again, there are instances where intuition prevails over intellect. Lacking in rationale, certain sequences might feel warily unconvincing and could disappoint the critical viewer.

But the major concern is the childish way the nuclear reactors of the country are shown to be vulnerable to threats. In a country, where nuclear power is not very well accepted by the masses owing to the fact of being unaware of the fundamentals, if a popular series like this, portrays the wrong facts, this may equally add to the deterrent views! A little insightful research could have revealed that Indian nuclear reactors are inherently safe and cannot be compromised by the imaginary way envisaged and the event of a core meltdown being thematically transformed to a catastrophic blast is a famous misconception that once again proves the inadequate awareness of the established safety practices and related technicalities that entail the restraints!

Special Ops 1.5 .... gallantry has a new name

Labelling the sequel season as The Himmat Story, this is actually prequel to the character build up of the fictitious intelligence officer, carrying out missions with his network of colleagues. The prequel connection actually traces back a young Himmat, getting suspended after his ambitious mission of catching the mastermind behind the Parliament attack fails and thus fails his theory that defied many. But he gets a call through Abbas Sheikh, his trusted aide in the Delhi police, as one of his R&AW colleagues goes rogue. Added to this is a package of sensitive materials, which are being hijacked by international syndicates for selling to the favourable bidders. Himmat is thus tasked to secure the materials and eliminate the threat of the rogue, Maninder, as well. In this, he is partnered with ex-army, Vijay Kumar, his old college buddy. As the case proceeds rapidly, so evolves the collateral complications. Treachery runs wild and Himmat loses his faith on life. Revenge drives both the good and the evil. A scary twist awaits yet the climactic finale is predictable. The style of narration followed has the disadvantage to forecast the events but still the spirit will keep the thrill gripping.

Created by Neeraj Pandey, the show is a thrilling ride of adventure blended with espionage. Every artist is outstanding in characterising the assigned portraiture. Similar in style but contrary to its predecessor, this time Abbas Sheikh and not Himmat, narrates from his perspective while being interrogated for some apprehensions regarding Himmat by Banerjee and Chadda, tasked with auditing the would be pensioners like Himmat Singh, who is on the verge of retirement. Vinay Pathak carries out the role in style and his charming gaits amplify the enjoyably merry suspense that he creates. Nothing more can be said of Kay Kay Menon but that he seemed to be crafted for the role of Himmat. His apparently unemotional attitude with the cold looks and calculated actions set the mood and drenches it with surprising emotions as he shares the screen with Gautami Kapoor as Saroj, both of whom play it from their heart to keep the moment unforgettable. Kapoor is another natural who blends into Saroj with perfection. Kali Prasad Mukherjee and Parmeet Sethi reprise respectively as D K Banerjee and Naresh Chadda as the investigative officers and breathe much needed relief as they reflect the silent admiration of the awestruck audience who will be impatient to interruptions as the heroics are revealed. Their depictions are perfect and comical expressions priceless. Aftab Shivdasani returns after a very long time and blends easily as Vijay Kumar, the only complaint that might be lodged will be, he has put up some weight.

So be ready to rock and roll in this four episode saga as you witness the various shades of a character and his essence.

Being The Family Man!

The Family Man is back with a bang and in style. Keeping us unmercifully expectant for so long with growing disappointment for the cliffhanger moment of season#1 that required closure, the sophomore season is much more than a mere compensation that is worth the patience. True, the recapitulations might feel a bit too taxing as the gap seemed indeed large between seasons, if not it is just me with bad memory feeling lost often during episodes, but these won't dampen your enjoyment, I guarantee.

Created and produced by Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D K, the theme of the series is thrillingly satisfying. Written by the creators and Suman Kumar, the story revolves around Srikant Tiwari of the fictitious agency, TASC, being delegated to bring down terrorist outfit set to destabilize power and order in the country. As the motherland is set to forge a political alliance, some foreign intelligence join hands with committed rebels to disrupt it. Diplomats take their opportunistic obstinate stance and it remains upon the espionage to make it happen. Whispers in tapped channels spell doom in the form of a dormant cell of elite assassins reuniting with vows to avenge their leader who is killed in Indian soil. Authorities scramble a team led by Tiwari to counter the threat.

But life is not so easy for Tiwari himself. Haunted by his past guilt, he had left TASC to lead a seemingly quality family life. But though his shift to corporate world apparently boosted his finances but his already troubled family life seemed to take a downhill turn. Misunderstanding with Suchi, misbehaving son and teenage daughter turning increasingly unruly being the usual order of life, a chance to reunite with old comrades at TASC seemed all that he could wish for. Little did he know what risks the future had in store for his family with the decision as the villains, this time, had personal agenda too in their platter.

The stage for the thrilling showdown was thus set for the family man Srikant to get things done for the country and the family.

Scripted by Sumit Arora, Suman Kumar and Manoj Kumar and directed by Raj, DK and Suman S Verma, the dialogues are crisp and the pace accelerated. Tamil dialogues form an integral part of the theme with subtitles assisting.

The lion's share of credit for acting goes to Manoj Bajpayee of his rendering of Srikant Tiwari, the no nonsense intelligence agent with a fluent tongue for lying out of any circumstances. But Sharib Hashmi as JK Talpade, the equally witty and warm hearted colleague of Tiwari and his team will take kudos as will Priyamani as the matured and calm Suchi, wife to Tiwari, with her impeccable portraiture of the housewife torn between her responsibility and career. Ravindra Vijay as TASC agent Muthu Pandian gives it the authentic regional touch with him serving as leading liaison with the local establishments. However, surprise awaits with composed steps of Samantha Akkineni as the coldly calculative Raji. Speaking little, her eyes speaks volumes instead. The desperation in her determined looks will instil a rare mix of fear and forgiveness in the heart of the viewers. Courage and confidence brewing in her, she would steal the show as it culminates. But only thing to say against this character is use of tan to condition her complexion that seemed slightly in excess.

The climactic episode closes again in a cliffhanger and a threat but this time the former is forgivingly social while the threat is surprisingly realistic given the condition of the country and the state where a recent happening of apprehending foreign national is coincidentally underway.

Future will have in store evidence to compare whether script matches reality!