Consider rewatching Meghna Gulzar’s Raazi (2018) starring Alia Bhatt? Netflix’s newest outing, Saare Jahan Se Accha, which releases forward of the Independence Day weekend, shares an uncanny resemblance to it — the one distinction being the long-format storytelling.
Set within the Seventies, this spy thriller stars Pratik Gandhi, Tillotama Shome, Rajat Kapoor, Kritika Kamra, Anup Soni, Suhail Nayyar, and Sunny Hinduja. It follows an Indian undercover R&AW agent despatched to Pakistan to stop it from turning into a nuclear energy. He should contend together with his counterpart, an ISIS chief who has been monitoring his each transfer.
An excellent ensemble wasted with subpar execution
As somebody who has watched a mess of espionage thrillers, I had excessive expectations for Saare Jahan Se Accha. The collection opens with the conspiracy surrounding Indian nuclear physicist Dr Homi Bhabha’s loss of life in a aircraft crash — Bhabha being broadly credited as the daddy of India’s nuclear programme. Whereas India, below Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, maintains its stance towards going nuclear, Pakistan desires of weaponising to the fullest below President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.
Pratik goes undercover as a diplomat together with his spouse, Tillotama, in a bid to sabotage Pakistan’s plans — solely to be met by his rival, Sunny, who tries to outwit him all through the collection.
What follows is a race towards time, pulling collectively each doable useful resource strategically positioned in Pakistan. Will Pratik handle to cease the inevitable with out blowing off his cowl is what kinds the crux of this collection.
Suhail Nayyar stands out as an undercover dealer tormented by anxiousness on the considered being caught. His efficiency hits the mark regardless of being surrounded by an distinctive forged. Equally, Sunny, enjoying the ruthless ISIS chief, tries to channel Christoph Waltz’s Hans Landa from Inglourious Basterds (2009). It really works, however solely to an extent.
That being stated, Tillotama Shome, Rajat Kapoor, and Kritika Kamra — actors of unquestionable calibre — are sadly underused right here, with minimal display screen time and underdeveloped character arcs.
Remaining verdict
It looks like Indian OTT is now following the identical drained components Bollywood has relied on for many years. The artistic wells seem like working dry, leaving us with middling content material. Throw in some cool spy devices, Morse code transmitters, and the interior turmoil of saving the nation, and voilà — you could have your self one more espionage thriller. That being stated, Saare Jahan Se Accha remains to be removed from the worst content material to hit OTT in 2025.