Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; August 12, 2017)

"With this web show, Anurag [Kashyap] and I will fulfill all our wishes,” chuckles Nawazuddin Siddiqui, alluding to the platform that’s free from the high-handedness of the Censor Board that the actor and filmmaker encountered during their previous collaboration, Gangs Of Wasseypur (2012). Siddiqui reveals that the director has been roped in to helm the Netflix original adaptation of Sacred Games, based on Vikram Chandra’s 2006 bestselling novel by the same name. “When we make movies, we think about ways to tone down the sexual content. Sacred Games will be uninhibited, because the fear of censorship won’t play on our minds,” he says.

Pointing out that at film festivals, Kashyap is often pulled up by media and critics for limiting the violence in his outings, Siddiqui laments that he fails for words while narrating the pitiful state of artistes in India due to creative curtailing.

The actor admires the likes of Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar-wai, renowned for his digressive imagery, and hopes that with this series, India, too, can put together a masterpiece.

Sacred Games brings the maverick noir filmmaker and his hitmaker protégé together yet again. Rumours suggest that Siddiqui recently dropped by for a look test. “It is too early to speak about my role. The screenplay is still under works and we should start rolling by next month. I’m glad that my work will be available to diverse people across 160 countries to enjoy.”

Siddiqui will team up with Saif Ali Khan for the first time in this outing. A previous collaboration was on the cards, but it didn’t materialise after the Sujoy Ghosh- directed project failed to kick- off. “Saif Ali Khan and I will bring out the wicked side of each other, which is also a requirement of the series.”

Sacred Games delves into the links between organised crime and politics in India.