Neeraj Pandey’s The Freelancer: The Conclusion, is A Mixed Bag of Thrills and Misses

After the notable success of the Special Ops Universe, Disney+ Hotstar and Neeraj Pandey return with “The Freelancer,” an adaptation of Shirish Thorat’s “A Ticket To Syria.” Continuing his track record of success in the genre with projects like Baby and Special Ops, Neeraj Pandey and his team have once again demonstrated their skill in creating an immersive world for the series. However, despite being billed as an action-thriller, the series has fallen short of delivering the anticipated impact in both the action and thriller elements.

Plot

The narrative centers around Mohit Rana’s character, Avinash Kamath, known as The Freelancer in intelligence circles due to his remarkable military accomplishments. Avinash embarks on a mission to extract Aliya, the daughter of his former colleague, who finds herself in Syria under ISIS following an unsuspected marriage.

Review

The compelling evolution of Avinash Kamath, moving from a suspended Mumbai police officer to gaining the moniker of The Freelancer, lacked the necessary emphasis, depriving the audience of a crucial understanding of Avinash’s significance. Throughout the series, his character was predominantly depicted as either a drunkard following his suspension or in the present day. Creator Neeraj Pandey and the writing team, composed of Ritesh Shah and Benazir Ali Fida, fell short of providing a thorough and effective establishment of Avinash’s character.

Director Bhav Dhulia skillfully maintains the series’ grounded tone, even though certain sequences deviate from realism. However, the delivery of anticipated thrills and high-octane action falls short under his direction. Mohit Raina, in contrast, effectively brings the required intensity to his character. Kashmira Pardeshi and Anupam Kher deliver a decent performance as Aliya and Arif respectively. 

About The Show

Creator: Neeraj Pandey

Director: Bhav Dhulia

Writers: Ritesh Shah and Benazir Ali Fida

Cast: Mohit Raina, Anupam Kher, and Kashmira Pardeshi

Rating: 2.75/5

Platform: Disney+ Hotstar

Verdict

Overall, “The Freelancer” marks a decent attempt by Neeraj Pandey. However, certain issues within the script and action elements leave it somewhat overshadowed when compared to his previous works like “Special Ops.” “The Freelancer: The Conclusion” is set to stream on Disney+ Hotstar starting today December 15, 2023.