The Freelancer

It is not your regular OTT masala..it has got a new take to the regular action and spy stuff.we have a good storyline which takes whole another level with some superb acting from a bunch of very talented actors,excellent pace of the story,top notch background score and last but not the least the "Syrian setup".yes the set is so realistic it feels at times that you are in Syria. This is a must watch but disappoints with only 4 episodes released for the time being leaving the audience on a cliffhanger.

Mohit raina is a perfect fit for the role supported very well by Anupam kher.proper family drama with no useless OTT masala of useless sex scenes,drug/alcohol abuse or forced LGBT characters.

Ok, so the series is a solid entertainment. Outstanding storytelling, the thrill and suspense, emotions. Everything is top notch. It has written Neeraj Pandey all over it. Fast paced yet so realistic. Damn, this man knows how to cook spy thriller elements properly. Once you start watching you would definitely wanna binge watch all of the episodes. But that's where comes the brilliant minds of Hotstar. I seriously don't understand what are they trying to do. Just give us all the episodes at once. Or if you wanna wait then give us a 1 month window. But NO, hell they didn't even give us release the date for the last three episodes.

After watching all the episodes i can say that it was beautifully presented. There aren't any unnecessary cringy action sequences like many other spy thrillers. The suspense was well cooked and the plot was interesting. If you love spy action thriller then it's must watch..

The creator has got the plot so right and on top of that the characters are so well played by all the actors, Mohit Raina makes one wonder why doesn't he appear in more of the contemporary content.

Not for a single moment did the series feel like it was lengthy or boring, every episode is captivating, thrilling & adds up to the bigger plot brilliantly. As a mark of Neeraj Pandey's work the series is not just entertaining but very realistic, the cinematography is a huge contributor to that along with the action scenes which make it a professional work adding further to its allure.

The only complaint if any, would be that this series was released in two parts split over a gap of 2.5 months but then, it was totally worth the wait.

The Freelancer/ ex Cop Avinash Kamath (Mohit Raina) is a mercenary who specialises in covert operations. He is bound by a promise made to his colleague and dear friend Inayat Khan (Sushant Singh) to watch out for his wife and daughter in case he dies in the call of duty.

Years later controversial suicide of Inayat Khan brings Avinash back home only to find that Inayat's suicide was a call for help to rescue his daughter Alia who's been forcefully taken to Syria by her husband and in-laws to join the ISIS.

It is now Avinash's mission to bring Alia home safely.

What I loved:

The Freelancer is gripping and you just cannot stop watching episode after episode. It keeps you on the edge. It's extremely well researched and the minutest details are paid attention to.

It's beautifully shot. There's a scene where Avinash is aboard a helicopter for a mission in Afghanistan, you can see Avinash and his team in the helicopter and also the shadow of the helicopter, falling on the ground, moving along with them; just signifies that these men also live in the shadows.

Superlative performance by Mohit Raina, he exudes the softness of a doting uncle and the brutal force of a rough tough cop so effortlessly. He balances indifference and concern in his performance so brilliantly.

Kashmira Pardesi as Alia portrays vulnerability beautifully and immediately makes you feel protective about her. Your heart breaks looking at her innocence. The scene I loved the most is when she's crying after being raped by her husband and as she wipes her tears away and you see determination and grit in those dove like eyes albeit fleetingly. She's sinf-e-aahan, woman of steel.

Balaji Gauri as Farhat Khala is absolutely brilliant. She totally creeps you out and makes you feel absolutely uncomfortable. Her eyes are so powerful you actually feel she can see through your mind.

Anupam Kher as Dr Khan, Freelancers handler is the calm that controls the storm.

Ayesha Raza and Manjiri Phadnis are endearing, especially as mothers. A few scenes are difficult to watch as a parent. They leave you numb.

What I absolutely hated was that after building the momentum and almost reaching the crescendo Disney Hotstar keeps you hanging for a season 2. A series like this deserves a season in its entirety as the time interval for the next season dilutes the impact. When the audience invest so much in a series, they deserve a closure too. It's unfair to both the audience and the makers.

What a series it was- I did not get a single moment to miss any shots. What I am very happy is to see that now, we have made some series that actually looks world class. We now outside the usual India-Pak espionage type story. Its a must watch- different level of stroy, great screen play and scenes. Overall it felt like watching hollywood series. Eagerly waiting for next 3 episodes... Characters looked so world class and not usual bollywood type. Good to see collaboration with premium world Intelligence agenines Mossad, CIA, RAW, IB, ISI etc, I mean in story. Its a must watch, looking for similar more movies, series to come.