'Special Ops 1.5: The Himmat Story' is framed, like its first season, in flashbacks, with Delhi Police officer Abbas Shiekh (Vinay Pathak) narrating Himmat's journey to the Inquiry Committee Officers - Naresh Chaddha (Parmeet Sethi) and DK Banerjee (Kali Prasad Mukherjee). This transports us back in time to the day of the 2001 Parliament attack, as well as Himmat's theory of what happened. Following that is another case, in which Maninder Singh (Aadil Khan), an ex-RAW agent, possesses sensitive information that could jeopardise the nation's security. Along with Himmat's quest to become the best RAW agent, the core of the drama is a cat-and-mouse game between Maninder and Himmat and his squad, majorly Vijay Kumar (Aftab Shivdasani).
Helmed by Neeraj Pandey and Shivam Nair, this four-part espionage thriller delves deeper into why Himmat Singh, the RAW agent, is the way he is. Pandey's venture has all ingredients from his universe: a stellar ensemble cast, a gripping and intense plot, and a tadka of roadblocks that make every situation tough to overcome. All they do is offer a busy narrative that weaves in and out of the lives of multiple characters who have worked for or with Himmat Singh.
Kay Kay Menon is the saving grace of this enterprise. He is seen wading his way through the dark alleys of politics, red-tapism and honey-trapping in this installment, which makes the show worth watching. His poker-faced remarks, "It Hurts When The Country Suffers Because Of Politics", as well as the emotional scenes of him losing his assets, make it worthwhile to watch.
Apart from Menon, who excels in almost every frame, Aftab Shivdasani's character arc as Vijay Kumar is well-developed. Vinay Pathak as Abbas Shiekh is the one who interestingly narrates Himmat's story. Maninder Singh is played convincingly by Aadil Khan. Aishwarya Sushmita, a model-turned-actor, is elegant in her debut appearance as Karishma. On the other hand, Shiv Jyoti looks promising as Anita Sharma opposite young Himmat Singh. And Gautami Kapoor, who plays Himmat's wife Saroj, has a significant part in this show.
The production value is high, which adds to the overall appearance of the series. In order to justify the long chases, the makers have shot across Mumbai, Delhi, and multiple locations like Malaysia, Ukraine, and Mauritius. Overall, Sudheer Palsane and Arvind Singh's cinematography is stunning and the background music by Advait Nemlekar gels along with the theme.
So far, the cliffhanger ending of this part indicates that Neeraj Pandey is creating a Special Ops universe with more stories to be discovered. That being said, you must also watch this espionage thriller if you want to be a part of this universe.
