![]() But the early ride is a dark bullets-blood-and-sex tale that gets a fresher patina thanks to Mumbai as a central character and the allure of looking at a well-worn story through an international lens. Vikram Chandra's novel draws the reader deep into the life of Inspector Sartaj Singhand into the criminal underworld of Ganesh Gaitonde, the most wanted gangster in India. Having seen half of the first season, I'm still unclear on whether the greater mystery - Singh having 25 hours to save the city - is about defusing a holy war, a terrorism threat or something more weirdly genre-inspired. Seven years in the making, Sacred Games is an epic of exceptional richness and power. While a lot of references in Sacred Games might get lost in translation - and some of the deeper Hindu-Muslim divides might not register here the way they will with an Indian audience - the story (writers include Varun Grover, Smita Singh and Vasant Nath) is so timelessly American in its mob/cops/city thematic trifecta that any fan of The Wire or even Martin Scorsese can relate to it immediately. (And a lot of cultural and historical references will go over the head of non-Indian viewers.) But as Gaitonde says, his story is like a scorpion - once it stings you, you’re done for. Chandra’s novel, is a major challenge on screen - despite its verve and visual inventiveness, the series feels muddled and a little wearying at times. Replicating the constant juggle of styles and voices in “Sacred Games,” a feat stretched out over more than 900 pages in Mr.
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