Special Ops was one of the first originals commissioned by the erstwhile Hotstar. The service has undergone multiple rebranding exercises into Disney+ Hotstar and JioHotstar by the time the follow-up series arrives on the platform. This time, Neeraj Pandey has taken full responsibility for directing it.
This time around, Kay Kay Menon’s Himmat Singh takes on the responsibility of stopping a full-scale cyber invasion. The chaos erupts at an international AI tech summit and key Indian delegates are caught in the crossfire, the threat seems distant until a high-ranking Raw officer in Delhi is attacked at the exact same time. There is a nod to Pandey’s own film A Wednesday in one of the subplots and how it plays out throughout the series. Prakash Raj, Dalip Tahil, and Tahir Raj Bhasin have been added to the ensemble.
The seven-episode season is engaging enough for the audience, but the core plot point of cyberattacks and the counteractions isn’t as realistic as it could be. Tahir Raj Bhasin’s The Collector is given ample time to shine, however, the motives behind his actions aren’t very well established. As I mentioned, there is a callback to A Wednesday, but that subplot isn’t well intertwined and should have been fleshed out a bit more to feel critical to the central plot.
The ensemble cast is perfect in their respective roles. Music by Advait Nemlekar is gripping. The show is beautifully shot across multiple countries. Neeraj Pandey has done a commendable job of keeping the screenplay as engaging as possible.
All that being said, Special Ops Season 2 is very well executed. I had some nitpicks, as mentioned in the review, but that shouldn’t take away from the overall experience. Special Ops 2 is set to premiere on JioHotstar on July 18, 2025.
Rating: 3.5/5
