Neeraj Pandey reveals reason behind ‘Special Ops 1.5’ format

Director Neeraj Pandey has decided to move forward with the next season of his ‘Special Ops’ (2020) franchise by exploring stories of the different characters that were seen in the first.

The franchise will be in a multi-series format, with star Kay Kay Menon still returning as agent Himmat Singh, reports The New Indian Express.

“The route that we have taken with Special Ops is that it will be a franchise. But rather than, going into the typical season two format, or season three format, (we thought) let’s do something more exciting, which is how the idea of Special Ops 1.5 came about, where we go back in time. We go to the year 2001,” Pandey told the media.

‘Special OPS 1.5’ is set “in the aftermath of Parliament attacks,” Pandey discloses, adding that the story explores “what happened in the next few months with Himmat Singh, the character portrayed by Kay Kay (Menon).”

The filmmaker added, “So, Special Ops 1.5 is called the Himmat story. It is essentially about the incident and the case that shaped Himmat Singh as an individual and as an officer. So, that’s what we’re talking about. So (we have) three episodes of 45-50 minutes each. So, yes, (It is) a (season) 1.5 rather than the conventional two.”

Away from ‘Special OPS,’ Pandey has worked on a historical project called, ‘Secrets Of Sinauli: Discovery Of The Century.’ The historical documentary, presented by Pandey, uncovers the mysteries behind the excavations in the town of Sinauli in Uttar Pradesh. The documentary is directed by Raghav Jairath.

“For me, it was pretty much homecoming because I started my career in documentaries. I love the process of research that comes with any documentary,” he said.

The filmmaker sees a great future of documentaries in the future. “It is an evolving market, and it’s going to be a major force in the years to come, when we talk about documentary storytelling. Now, with the advent of platforms in our country, the audiences today are getting exposed to good stories in this documentary genre,” he said.

‘Secrets Of Sinauli: Discovery Of The Century’ is currently streaming on Discovery+.

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