The Freelancer (Season 1) -Part 1 Of 2
Introduction
Onto the next release of the weekend and I finished watching the new Hindi show, the first part of The Freelancer which is streaming on Hotstar. Yes, you read that right! Another weekend in which Hotstar has sabotaged another one of its shows. It is just so frustrating to be a Hotstar paid subscriber these days because the OTT platform is just on a spree to spoil the viewing experience week after week. If it was The Night Manager earlier in the year or even as late as last week with the Tamannaah starrer Aakhri Sach, the OTT platform has developed a knack of only partially releasing its content. This is all the more baffling because, in the times where reels rule the roosts, the discussion around web shows is reduced to only the first weekend, that too if the content is good. With a plethora of content to choose from, this strategy of Hotstar makes it even more difficult to acquire viewers while ensuring that the existing viewers skip their content too(besides being unfair to the show and its crew). I am unsure of which MBAs are running the show by taking a decision to stream the Asia Cup and The World Cup for free while only partially releasing the paid content. What is the revenue model? And how would you ensure its recovery? Time to fire these MBAs but then that ain’t happening as this rant of mine will continue when Hotstar releases another one of its shows, I am so sure about that! So lets get to business!
I was quite looking forward to watching The Freelancer primarily because of two names – Neeraj Pandey and Mohit Raina. The former has made this espionage genre his own with content lile Baby or even The Special Ops franchise which made for some enthralling thrillers. And you can’t help but think that the man knows his craft and primarily the pulse of the audience. Mohit on the other hand is one of the most talented and diverse actors in the circuit. His tall and bulky demeanor might trick you into thinking that he is only an action hero. But the reality is that while the man can kick some a*s for sure, he has also seamlessly extended his acting chops in other genres like mythology or even romance. His versatility remains unmatched and web is that one space that allows him an opportunity to dabble with different genres. But the question remains of whether the first part of The Freelancer is worth your time, now that I have finished watching it, here are my two cents on the same.
Story & Screenplay
Based on a novel by the name A Ticket To Syria, The Freelancer(Part 1 of 2) follows the story of an ex-cop turned mercenary who takes up a daunting mission to save a young girl trapped in the vicinity of the ISIS in Syria. Will he be able to save her?(don’t bother answering this as only part 1 of the show is out). The story here is exciting and compelling while promising its viewers some edge of the seat thrills along the way. The screenplay(of part 1) standing at 4 episodes ranging from 30 odd minutes to 50 odd minutes is quite a brisk watch that results in quite an eventful watch.
As a reviewer when the show is sliced into two, it becomes all the more difficult to form your judgement around it as you do not get a chance to holistically view the show. So while this review becomes unfair even to begin with, I shall try my best to critique the good and not so good aspects of the show based on its first 4 episodes only. The drama here begins on a slight wobbly note straight up. And I say that because the creative decision to have the lines of foreign actors dubbed in Hindi did not quite sit well with me especially when the English subtitles were available. Yes, I understand that dubbing would increase the reach of the show but for me personally, it was an added distraction that didn’t quite feel right. So the opening prelude involving a covert operation didn’t have the desired impact on me.
Things start getting better when the language aspect of the drama is settled, wherein you are introduced to the protagonist, a mercenary shown grappling with his situation of not having enough time to spend with his wife who is ill. This until a turn of events force him back to his job of rescuing a young girl who happens to be the daughter of his friend who stages his suicide at the US consulate. Now credit where due to the writers! This drama could so easily have been a jingoistic one like the other Hotstar show, Commando wherein a larger than life protagonist would just stream roll through his enemies. Instead, the drama is is cerebral, almost inticing the audience into the journey of the young girl and her in-laws and how their radicalisation made them enter a terrorist hotspot. Elsewhere, the slow buildup of the protagonist planning his rescue op does contribute to a fascinating watch with several nail-biting moments.
There is a sense of steadiness in the drama that doesn’t give an impression of it going overboard with the proceedings. There is a lot of controlled aggression in play while also touching upon the geo-political situation in the form of the introduction of the CSI along with a home-grown challenge for the protagonist in the form of IB. A little downer can be that the stake in the drama isn’t as high as it should have been(other than the young girl being trapped). But that is again an unfair criticism as the entire show isn’t out yet, and so I would give that benefit of doubt while providing my rating. The show ends of a terrific note thus setting things perfectly for its next part. Overall, the screenplay is pretty impressive here and it definitely contributes to some compelling moments.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are very well written with the integration of a few Arabic words that lend authenticity to the drama. It was such a refreshing change from the usual use of ‘Janaab’ in the drama. I still feel the show would have further benefited had some of the foreign language lines had not been dubbed. The BGM is pretty good and it enhances several scenes. The representation of the dry landscape through the BGM was quite impressive as well. The cinematography captures some stunning frames that definitely enhanced the viewing experience for me. The editing is crisp barring the elaborate flashback sequence with jumping timelines which could have been contrived to an extent. Director Bhav Dhulia does a swell job in constructing this drama that allows the viewers to be invested in it. The world building and the character development was impressive and it definitely made for an engaging watch wherein the director also was able to create some tense situations along the way. The direction is good so far and hope Bhav can see this through till the end in Part 2 where all the major action lies!
Performances
The performances are quite brilliant by the ensemble cast. Farhana Bhat as Saiyma, Aakash Dabhade as Wilson and Breshna Khan as Nabeela all are terrific despite a limited screen time. Jalila Talemsi as Amena is intimidating and does a swell job. Sarah Jane Dias as Radha delivers yet another dignified performance by being well restrained throughout. One thing to note about her performances be it in Made In Heaven 2 or now here in The Freelancer is that she doesn’t try and overpower the proceedings by trying too hard. And that is what often has resulted in a vrry controlled act by her.
John Kokken as Raghvendra has a tremendous screen presence and does a terrific job. Sushant Singh as Inayat is such a good actor and it was a pleasure watching him as always. If there are any budding actors reading this review, then notice the body language and mannerisms of Sushant(in his avatar of Inayat), and the pauses that he takes along with his subtke gestures. These smaller details go a long way in enhancing the overall act. Geeta Agrawal Sharma as Asar has a calm demeanor to her character that is often terrifying to the core as it adds to the unpredictability of her character. One such instance was in the final reel of the show wherein you knew where it was headed, yet the fear was palpable. She was terrific here in what was a diabolically opposite role from that in OMG 2.
Anupam Kher as Dr. Khan is assertive and quite upright in his performance. Ayesha Raza Mishra as Sabeena delivers a tender and heartfelt performance which was quite impressive. Balaji Gauri as Farhat is unassuming yet brilliant in her act as the chief recruiter of the ISIS. It was a subtly powerful act that does just enough to anger you. Navneet Malik as Mohsin is quite understated as well and he does a good job. I did feel though that there could have been an added zing to his character by amping his intensity.
Manjari Fadnnis as Mrunal delivers a searing act which had layers of complexity to it. Essaying a character dealing with a personal trauma can always be tricky in conveying the set of emotions to the viewer, and she does that brilliantly here. The sudden switches of moods in her character were splendid to witness too. Kashmira Pardeshi as Aliya represents the innocence of her character just so well. The character demanded a streak of physicality as well and the gritty nature of her performance was wonderful to witness. And the maturity shown in performing certain emotional scenes was lovely to witness as well.
Mohit Raina as Avinash Kamat aka The Freelancer is a beast! His performance was grounded and that is what worked the best for his character and the show. His performance was devoid of any machismo or even some chest-thumping jingoism, while the focus was always on creating a cerebral environment around him. And, he impresses in combat sequences as well! He was terrific as always in what was a nuanced display of aggression.
Conclusion
The Freelancer (Part 1 of 2) is a compelling and enthralling thriller with good performances that makes for a wonderful watch. Sadly, it is Hotstar which has once again sabotaged another one of its shows by slicing it into two parts. Available on Hotstar.
