30 January,2021 06:49 AM IST | Mumbai | Uma Ramasubramanian
A still from Special Ops
Special Ops was appreciated as much for its taut storytelling as for Kay Kay Menon's compelling performance. And director Neeraj Pandey knows the opportunity for a story when he sees one - gauging the audience interest in the back-story of Menon's quiet but quick-thinking RAW agent, Himmat Singh, he has decided to create Special Ops 1.5: The Himmat Story.
Neeraj Pandey
"Most showrunners and creators develop a second season to take their story forward. When we got down to cracking the next step, we were wondering how to make this universe unpredictable yet fascinating for the audience. We wanted to do it differently from the template that has been set. That's when we started thinking about Special Ops 1.5," narrates Pandey.
Told over three episodes, the story will go back in time to 2001 and explore the formative years of Himmat Singh. "Technically, we will be making a mini-series. [Like the first edition], we will kick off the proceedings with the 2001 Parliament attack and take the story forward. It will delve into the making of Himmat, and how his thought process was shaped by events and experiences. One of the reasons I enjoyed writing the 1.5 version is because we could tap into a side of Kay Kay, which, in all probability, we might not be able to see again."
Going 20 years back in time implies that Menon will have to sport a younger look in the series. The creator reveals that the team has zeroed in on the actor's get-up. "Since we had shown a younger Kay Kay in the opening episode of the first season, we were confident about the look he had to sport. We did a test shoot recently; the special effects work is underway."
So where does that leave the second season - a continuation of sorts to the original story, complete with Himmat Singh and his undercover agents pursuing another terrorist? "[After the 1.5 version], we will have the second season, which will be an eight-episode affair," he promises.
