Gautam Anand
‘Sacred Games’ is an Indian crime web series based on Vikram Chandra’s critically acclaimed and award-winning 2006 novel of the same name. The show that airs on Netflix has been written by Varun Grover, Smitha Singh, and Vasant Nath. The show was first conceived in 2014 when Erik Barmack, the Vice-president of Netflix, contacted Vikramaditya Motwane — who would eventually become the showrunner — to adapt Chandra’s novel in the local Indian language. Anurag Kashyap later joined the project as co-director.
The first four episodes of the show premiered on 29 June 2018, with the full season of eight episodes released on Netflix on 6 July, 2018. The show immediately became a huge success, with both the audiences and the critics praising great performances by the cast and superb writing. Expectedly, in September 2018, Netflix announced renewal of the show. After about a year, ‘Sacred Games’ Season 2 made to viewers screens on August 14, 2019. The second season was also received well. Now, the question is, will there be a Sacred Games season 3? Here’s everything we know about it.
Sacred Games Cast: Who is in it?
The cast of the show is led by Saif Ali Khan, who plays the role of Inspector Sartaj Singh, a low-key police officer who gets wind of a case of a lifetime, and Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who plays the antagonist Ganesh Gaitonde. Other cast members include, Radhika Apte as Anjali Mathur (season 1), Pankaj Tripathi as Khanna Guruji, Neeraj Kabi as DCP Parulkar, Jatin Sarna as Deepak “Bunty” Shinde, Kubra Sait as Kukoo. Kalki Koechlin as Batya Abelman, Ranvir Shorey as Shahid Khan,Amruta Subhash as Raw agent Kusum Devi Yadav joined the cast in season 2.
All the surviving cast members from season 2 are expected to return for season 3, if and when it happens.
Sacred Games Plot: What is it about?
Based on the book of the same name by Vikram Chandra, ‘Sacred Games’ follows the story of a gangster and a policeman. Ganesh Gaitonde is a meagre man who slowly makes a reputation for himself in the criminal underbelly of Bombay to become the most feared and influential gangster. One half of the story takes the viewers through the streets of the 80s Bombay and covers the arc of Gaitonde’s story and his connection with certain people who play a major role in the 2019 arc.
The other half of the story focusses on Inspector Sartaj Singh as he tries to keep his integrity intact while suffering the bullying and intimidation of his corrupt seniors and peers. His personal life is a mess that he can’t set right. He has spent all these years waiting for a case that would be his “big break”; a case that would change the perspective of everyone about him. It comes in the form of a phone call. Gaitonde, who has reportedly been away from the country for the past fifteen years, hints at a catastrophe that is going to destroy all of Mumbai in 25 days. Season 1 covers the first 13 days of Sartaj’s quest to avert this unknown danger that leads him down a path of dangerous assassins, ruthless criminals and conniving politicians.
Season 2 picks up the story from where season 1 ends and shows us the second coming of Gaitonde with the help of “guruji”. Meanwhile, Sartaj continues his mission as he races against time to save the city of Mumbai. Even though season 2 ends on a cliffhanger, for all practical purposes, the story completes a full circle.
If season 3 happens, it will most likely cover a different story arc than the first two seasons. Obviously, the next season can’t feature Gatoinde, so it might center around Sartaj.
Sacred Games Season 3 Release Date: When is it coming out?
‘Sacred Games’ season 2 premiered on August 14, 2019 in the US and August 15th in India. Now, to address the question on everyone’s mind, which is, when is Sacred Games season 3 coming out? But before that, we must address will there be Sacred Games season 3?
Those who have seen both the seasons know that the story arc of Gaitonde is complete by the end of season 2. So, it won’t be wrong to state that the makers conceived the series as two season-show. Actor Saif Ali Khan, confirmed this in an interview with PTI, “This story ends at the end of this season. So I don’t know if they will extend it. (But) There is always scope for more.” Showrunner Motwane also acknowledged that theoretically season 2 is the end, but in the same breath he did also confirm to Hindustan Times, “Should things go on we’ll make things up.”
Well, that’s almost a confirmation that there will be a season 3. And if that happens, Sacred Games would follow the tradition set by Game of Thrones, which initially was conceived as an adaptation of George RR Martin’s novels, but later took on its own course. Obviously, that would mean writers of Sacred Games will have to start working on an original script that takes the story of first two seasons forward in a meaningful way. Which means, we might have to wait for quite some time before the next season arrives. The best cast estimate for ‘Sacred Games’ season 3 release date could be of July, 2021.
Should You Watch Sacred Games?
If you are into crime dramas, you must absolutely watch Sacred Games. Critics have loved the show’s take on Mumbai’s gritty underworld, with the Rotten Tomatoes critics’ consensus reading, “Gorgeous, grim, and unexpected, ‘Sacred Games’ is saved from its procedural premise by its dense plotting and superb cast.” The show enjoys a stellar score of 92% on the review aggregator website. ‘Sacred Games’ has been a hit of astronomical proportions among audiences too. The show boasts a brilliant overall rating of 8.9/10 on IMDb.
Sacred Games Trailer:
While we wait for an update on ‘Sacred Games’ season 3, here’s season 2 trailer to refresh your memories. If you haven’t seen the show yet head over to Netflix to catch all the episodes of the previous seasons.
Read More: Sacred Games Season 1, Fully Explained
