Saare Jahan Se Accha: The Silent Guardians
Introduction
It was only last weekend that I had watched the abysmal Hindi show Salakaar that had presented the espionage drama as a symbol of caricature, featuring a protagonist in a fancy dress competition to stall the mission of a nuclear reactor by Pakistan. The new Hindi Netflix show Saare Jahan Se Accha is set in the same timeline (only timeline), while dealing with the same mission, but the good news is that it atleast boasts of the soul of an espionage thriller. It isn’t nearly as tacky as Salakaar in wanting to create a chest-thumping jingoistic drama around an important Historical event, that was mostly dictated by the geo-political setup back in the day. In fact, the cold open sequence involving the assassination of Dr Homi Bhabha, and using it as a trigger for a game of spies across the border, was an interesting start given how it did set the context of the geo-political setup involving different nations, and the stance of every nation with respect to creating an atomic bomb for themselves. Needless to say that the death of Dr Bhabha did put India way back in the queue, while giving the nation a sole purpose – to prevent Pakistan from testing their nuclear bomb as well!
Story & Screenplay
Created by Gaurav Shukla, there is an empathetic streak that you witness when you are first introduced to Vishnu Shankar (Pratik Gandhi) working for the R&AW. Early on, he is marred by the guilt of missing out on saving the crucial life of Dr Homi Bhabha by ’15 minutes’ (in his words), even while silently going about his duties for the nation. There is a consistent streak of assertiveness too, even as he is told to shift to Islamabad with the sole mission to prevent Pakistan from testing the nuclear reactor. But there is a humane side to him too – of frequently asking his boss Kao (Rajat Kapur) to help extradict his moles in the system, simply because they are doing their bit to help the larger cause of the mission too. In a scene, you see him helplessly empathizing while recalling the news of a character being captured, in another, you see him ‘assuring’ another character about communicating with his mother. There is definitely a humane side to Vishnu, even whilst interacting with multiple people.
The immediate nemesis of Vishnu remains the ISI chief Murtaza Mallik (Sunny Hinduja), who immediately unleashes his intimidating side in his opening scene, wherein you see him shooting every captured agent, just to instill fear in the minds of his opponents. There is a definite ruthless streak to him while being employed by the Pakistan President Bhutto (Hemant Kher), even as he roams around with a certain flair, and fear amidst his clan. Yet, the only time you see remorse in his eyes along with a feeling of helplessness is when he has to eliminate a character who has been close to him, but also a traitor to his nation. There is definitely a Raazi-coded drama in play just there, something that also humanizes the opponent as opposed to granting him broad strokes like the character of Mukesh Rishi in Salakaar. Ironically, this brief setup with respect to his character representing a different nation is synonymous with the title of the show – Saare Jahaan Se Achcha (based om his own beliefs for his nation)..
The proceedings often resemble a chess board with every move being tactical from both sides. And every move here, does have its share of repercussions as well, in the larger context of the drama. But this is also where the drama minutely fumbles with the transitions – characters talk about a meeting in one part of the globe while meeting in the very next scene in another part of the globe. This is a very specific problem to have in an espionage thriller, given how the smallest movements of the characters are being tracked and amplified. This, definitely needed a little more nuanced writing to fill in the transitions with a little more detailing in play.
Another minor drawback with this taut narrative remains the characterization of some of the other characters, who do not fully get a chance to be established. For instance, there is a genuine sincerity while introducing you to the character of Sukhbir (Suhail Nayyar), a character handpicked from an Indian jail to spy on Pakistan. The emotional beats to his character is definitely in play, even as he reminisces about his time with his mother, while continuing to be living the life of a broker at the Karachi Stock Exchange. But these details remain only on paper, even whilst his mother isn’t shown once to further illustrate his emotional core. Even his personal life involving his love-affair with Naseem (Diksha Juneja) while keeping it discreet from her army-officer brother, is a loose subplot that ends before being completely established. And the guilt of a sudden murder fizzles out into a more jingoistic shift in his characterization at the end, almost resembling the character of Suniel ‘Dharti Meri Maa Hai’ Shetty from Border (1997), which wasn’t exactly the core of the character.
The characters of Mohini (Tillotama Shome) and Fatima (Kritika Kamra) are written with certain broad strokes too. Mohini is a character that is only shown to be quietly agreeing or disagreeing with her husband, without fully being aware of his whereabouts. And whilst the latter part is fine, the vulnerability of her character and having to adapt in an alien setting is just not touched upon. Likewise, even Fatima is wasted in a character that remains a key replacement of another character for Vishnu, while representing the last of the free press in a country (oh, relatable back home in the current setting too) who chooses to criticize her own government through her writeups in a newspaper. In the larger scheme of things, her role remained restricted even with an aspiration to have a bigger contribition to the overall setup (which wasn’t really the case).
There is a firm grip maintained in the drama, particularly with the overseas expose that keeps you engaged here. There are multiple subplots involving the exchange of funds and the ultimate undercover operations from across the globe, that contributes to the overall piece of the puzzle here. The moments are intriguing too – be it the passing of information about the nuclear reactor, that coaxes both parties to play their cards differently, even though the transitions continue to remain devoid of detailing and actions. For instance, the information about the port where the container would land, is devoid of any nuances on how the estimate was zeroed in on that particular location (often being deflected through the talks between characters and how they presumed to be that without actually showcasing the details). But the biggest stumble is in its final act!
The final act is reflective of a chain of events from a completely different show, wherein you could feel the shift in the tonality of the drama. In fact, I would also go as far as saying that it bordered on being tacky – wherein the understated nature of the drama did give way for some over the top patriotism, that wasn’t the DNA of the show. It was almost like an cricket match wherein the batters are compelled to end the game in style, as opposed to the singles and doubles that would also win them the match. The idea to go from zero to one hundred in a matter of a few reels, significantly lowered the impact of the final act that didn’t land well at all. This, prompted the overall impact of the screenplay to be just about decent as opposed to a home run that the show was capable of!
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are understated and go well with the ambience and mood of the drama, particularly with its setting of the early 70s. The BGM is decent, while deftly carving an impact without overhauling the narrative at any given point in the narrative. But the reason why it is decent only, is because it doesn’t feel memorable enough to sustain the emotional core in any particular scene. The cinematography comprises of frames that creates an ambience of intrigue through its sombre colour grading that immediately airdrops you into the bygone era. The frames also keep you invested with the characters even when the writing slips up. The editing pattern comprises of fast cuts that allow the drama to be taut, while comfortably maintaining the tempo of the drama. But one drawback also remains on how the fillers aren’t accounted for, even as character globe-trot in a matter of minutes before returning to their respective setting, which definitely was a miss as far as I was concerned. Director Sumit Purohit maintains a grip on the narrative for most parts of the runtime, while wonderfully indulging in his sombre world building and decent characterization. But, the stumble in the final act is abominable to say the least, while equally baffling on why there was a need to consciously shift the tone of the drama. Overall, the director is good but woefully stumbling in the final act.
Performances
The performances are pretty solid by the members of the cast although not all characters have enough meat with the written material. Stephanie Schlesser as Marya, Rajesh Khera as Bilal, Karan Mann as Rashid and Deepak Kamboj as Imaad have their moments to shine. Hemant Kher as Bhutto is competent and does a good job. Diksha Juneja as Naseem has a good screen presence and she does a good job, although her character just did not have enough meat. In fact, I was awaiting a potential twist to her character with respect to the revelation of the identity of her lover, that just did not arrive. Nakul Sahdev as Ghulam is also mostly reduced to the background, although he did make his presence felt through his understated approach. Kunal Thakur as Vikram is again a sketchy character, who seemed straight out of the Special Ops universe known to introduce spy characters at the drop of a hat. But his screen presence is promising enough for him to leave a mark. Atul Kumar as Munir is sincere and maintains the poise of his character brilliantly.
Ninad Kamat as Adhikari and Anup Soni as Naushad are sincere and earnest with their performances, and there is an affable streak tagged to each of the two characters. Tillotama Shome as Mohini and Kritika Kamra as Fatima are such talented performers who aren’t exactly given meaty roles here. And whilst, both manage to perform pretty well, you couldn’t help but feel that their characters remained half-baked (something that is even more true for the character of Mohini). Rajat Kapur as Mr Kao is first rate and he brings a lot of restraint and grace to his performance.
Suhail Nayyar as Sukhbir is terrific here, using his body language and expressions really well to convey his emotions and vulnerabilities. Even when the tone of the character shifts towards the end, Suhail still manages to keep you engaged with his performance.
Sunny Hinduja as Murtaza Malik is in top form here. There is a sense of intimidation that Sunny brings to the table through his character, something that will send a shiver down your spine, at times even with his expressions that he sports. And in a sharp contrast, Sunny also brings out his vulnerability in a particular scene while managing to emote beautifully. So here was a character that you would all hate, but he still ensured that he was humane in many ways.
Pratik Gandhi as Vishnu Shankar is understated and delivers a performance ridden with empathy. The assertiveness of his character is cut short by his empathy, a sharp and contrasting trait that is wonderfully balanced in a measured act. The sincerity of his performance cannot be denied as well, in a character that remains one of the major driving forces of the screenplay given that most of the drama unfolds through his gaze. And once again, Pratik Gandhi delivers in style, holding onto the proceedings even when the writing isn’t the best. The pain that he internalizes is a sight to witness, even as he quietly leaves another lasting impression with his impeccable performance.
Conclusion
Despite a tacky final act, Saare Jahan Se Accha is an understated and a decently engaging espionage thriller, backed by solid performances that makes for a satisfactory watch. It isn’t the best but it isn’t the worst too – somewhere in the middle, perhaps! Available on Netflix.