Special Ops 1.5: The Himmat Story
Promotional poster
GenreAction
Espionage
Thriller
Created by
Written by
  • Neeraj Pandey
  • Deepak Kingrani
  • Benazir Ali Fida
Directed by
Starring
ComposerAdvait Nemlekar
Country of originIndia
Original languageHindi
No. of episodes4 (list of episodes)
Production
ProducerShital Bhatia
Production locationsIndia, Ukraine
Cinematography
  • Sudheer Palsane
  • Arvind Singh
EditorPraveen Kathikuloth
Running time34-51 min
Production companyFriday Storytellers
Original release
NetworkDisney+ Hotstar
Release12 November 2021 (2021-11-12)
Related
Special OPS

Special Ops 1.5: The Himmat Story is a Hindi action thriller fiction webseries created and directed by Neeraj Pandey for Disney+ Hotstar.[1] The series is set inside the Special Ops Universe and stars Kay Kay Menon as Himmat Singh. The series premiered on 12 November 2021.[2]

Cast

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
1"Aandhi"Shivam Nair
November 12, 2021 (2021-11-12)
Abbas Sheikh is summoned by auditors to evaluate Himmat Singh's career as his retirement draws near. After the 2001 Parliament attack, Himmat tracks Ikhlaq Khan to Delhi. Abbas disobeys direct orders from his seniors to not be involved in this case and helps Himmat, but Ikhlaq escapes. A week later in an inquiry, both Himmat and Abbas are suspended from their jobs. Himmat coerces Joint CP Chautala to revoke Abbas' suspension, and dates a girl named Anita before disappearing. Abbas finds him on a news channel where he is in Kashmir searching for leads about Ikhlaq. Soon after, Himmat is called back by RAW for a case on Vinayak Shukla, an attaché counsellor at the Indian High Commission of Colombo who was honey-trapped by a girl named Karishma, and highly sensitive documents have been leaked. Upon learning the truth, Shukla kills himself. Himmat is joined by Vijay Kumar, his college friend, an ex-army officer. Mathur is given their target Maninder, an ex-RAW officer and Himmat's colleague who has gone rogue, to eliminate him and secure the national documents.
2"Mere Apne"Neeraj Pandey
  • Neeraj Pandey
  • Deepak Kingrani
  • Benazir Ali Fida
November 12, 2021 (2021-11-12)
Himmat and Abbas interrogate Mandal and learn that Maninder went to London by interrogating Mandal. Upon returning from Moscow, Natasha Petrova blackmailed Mandal for top-secret Naval documents. Chintamani receives an email with intimate photos and a Trojan virus is installed on his computer. Sharma lies and travels to London to share the documents with Natasha. Upon further investigation, there appears to be an international conspiracy with Sankalp Chaudhary as the main conspirator, whom Maninder and Karishma appear to work for. Vijay decides to go to Colombo to capture Karishma while Himmat travels to London to stop Chintamani. Maninder intercepts Natasha, kills her, and steals the documents. Himmat arrives at the hotel where Chintamani is staying, but before he can start his investigation, Chintamani shoots himself. Vijay arrives in Colombo and holds Karishma at gunpoint. After a quick call between Himmat and Vijay, Maninder points a gun at Himmat.
3"Lekin"Shivam Nair
  • Neeraj Pandey
  • Deepak Kingrani
  • Benazir Ali Fida
November 12, 2021 (2021-11-12)
Himmat asks Maninder why he went rogue, and he explains that on a mission to Serbia, he was captured and tortured by Serbian forces. After waiting six days, he learned that he was betrayed. He then escapes. Vijay captures Karishma and is ambushed by a group of armed men on the way to the airport. Karishma escapes with the armed men. With no leads, Himmat and Vijay return to Delhi. Himmat, Anita, Vijay, and Saroj attend dinner together. While returning from dinner, Himmat realizes that Anita is a mole and he was being tricked by her. He interrogates Anita and learns that she was coerced by Karishma three years earlier. He also finds out that Maninder is in Kyiv, Ukraine. He moves Anita to a safe house and goes to the Ukraine with Vijay to eliminate Maninder. Meanwhile, Karishma appears at the stakeout point, and Vijay calls Himmat, who starts following her, while Maninder is monitoring them. Vijay is captured by Maninder and Himmat captures Karishma. Maninder calls Himmat and tells him to come to a tank factory.
4"Ijazat"Neeraj Pandey
  • Neeraj Pandey
  • Deepak Kingrani
  • Benazir Ali Fida
November 12, 2021 (2021-11-12)
As Himmat arrives at the tank factory with Karishma, he finds Vijay wounded. In a face-off, Maninder shoots and kills Karishma. He is about to kill Himmat but Vijay interferes. In the resulting struggle, Maninder kills Vijay and escapes. Himmat sets out to coerce Sankalp to find Maninder and lays a trap by getting Maninder to leave for Dubai. On the flight from Kyiv to Dubai, Himmat strangles Maninder to death. He retrieves the stolen information and, upon returning to Delhi, goes directly to the safe house. Himmat blames Anita for Vijay's death. During an intense conversation, he executes Anita after she asks him to do so. After two months, a deal is agreed between Himmat and Alan Fuller after which Sankalp dies in a car explosion. Due to a successful mission, Himmat gets his job back. A year later, Himmat goes to Saroj and apologises for Vijay's death. In the present, it is shown that Himmat is with his family when he gets a call from Farooq. Farooq was kidnapped somewhere in Nepal and gives Himmat a hint.

Production

The series was formally announced by Disney+ Hotstar in January 2021 with Kay Kay Menon attached to star. In the same month Aftab Shivdasani joined the cast.[3]

Filming

The series started production in February, 2021.[4] The series was shot in Ukraine in July 2021,[5] with the Ukraine leg of the shoot completed in Kyiv in the same month.[6]

Release

The four-episode series premiered on Disney+ Hotstar on November 12, 2021, as part of Disney+ Day.[7][8][9][10]

Promotion

A teaser of the show was released on 14 October 2021 on the social media handles of Disney+ Hotstar.[11] The trailer was leaked online before its official release on October 19, 2021.[12]

Reception

Archika Khurana writing for The Times of India commented "Kay Kay Menon’s Himmat Singh leaves a lasting impression as a RAW agent" rating 3 out of 5 stars.[13]

Manik Sharma writing for Firstpost noted, "It is understandable that Special Ops 1.5 is a detour to make Himmat Singh more personable, instead of the maverick he was shown in the first season, but the story is too disjointed to pull this narrative heist off."[14]

Udita Jhunjhunwala writing for Scroll noted that Special Ops 1.5 feels like an appetiser and a palate cleanser while we wait for the main course, because there's clearly more to come from Neeraj Pandey, Menon, Himmat Singh and his special ops team.[15]

Bhavna Agarwal from Bollywood Bubble commented "Neeraj Pandey's approach to the story with his lenses and storyline is the strength of the prequel backed by a fluid screenplay. Kay Kay Menon returns as Himmat Singh along with Aftab Shivdasani and Vinay Pathak in pivotal roles."[16]

Prateek Sur received the show positively and rated it 3.5 out of 5.[17]

Sequel

In April 2022, Neeraj Pandey confirmed that the third season of Special OPS is under production and will be released in early 2023.[18]

References

  1. ↑ "Disney+Hotstar announces Special Ops 1.5, the backstory of Himmat Singh". India Today. 22 January 2021. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  2. ↑ Layton, Mark (25 January 2021). "India's Disney+ Hotstar expands 'Special Ops Universe'". TBI Vision. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  3. ↑ Bhasin, Shriya (16 February 2021). "Aftab Shivdasani joins 'Special Ops 1.5: The Himmat Story'". Google. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  4. ↑ Kameshwari, A. (13 February 2021). "Kay Kay Menon starrer Special Ops 1.5 begins shoot, declares Neeraj Pandey". The Indian Express. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  5. ↑ Hungama, Bollywood (27 July 2021). "Special Ops 1.5: Aftab Shivdasani shows what WFH looks like as he shares BTS picture with Kay Kay Menon and Aadil Khan in Ukraine : Bollywood News". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  6. ↑ @neerajpofficial (1 August 2021). "Bye bye Ukraine!.Last leg of #specialops 1.5.@kaykaymenon02 @AftabShivdasani @aadilkhanitis @FridayStorytel1…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  7. ↑ Desk, Entertainment (19 October 2021). "Special Ops 1.5 trailer: Kay Kay Menon's Himmat Singh is on another globetrotting mission". The Indian Express. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  8. ↑ "Special Ops 1.5: The Himmat Story starring Kay Kay Menon to premiere on Hotstar". Google. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  9. ↑ "Special Ops 1.5: Neeraj Pandey Talks On Using Unconventional Title". Koimoi. 17 February 2021. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  10. ↑ Ramachandran, Naman (27 July 2021). "Disney Plus Hotstar Reveals Robust India Slate". Variety. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  11. ↑ Hotstar Specials Special Ops 1.5 | Official Teaser, retrieved 14 October 2021
  12. ↑ "Kay Kay Menon's Special Ops 1.5 The Himmat Story trailer drops hours after being leaked online". India Today. 19 October 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  13. ↑ Khurana, Archika (12 November 2021). "Special Ops 1.5 Season 1 Review: Kay Kay Menon's Himmat Singh leaves a lasting impression as a RAW agent". News. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  14. ↑ "Special Ops 1.5 review: Kay Kay Menon's towering portrayal of Himmat Singh dwarfs all signs of mediocrity around". Firstpost. 12 November 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  15. ↑ Jhunjhunwala, Udita (12 November 2021). "'Special Ops 1.5: The Himmat Story' review: Solid performances and an intense Kay Kay Menon". Scroll.in. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  16. ↑ "Special Ops 1.5 REVIEW: Kay Kay Menon, Aftab Shivdasani and Vinay Pathak starrer sets the right precedent for a stellar prequel". Bollywood Bubble. 12 November 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  17. ↑ "'Special Ops 1.5' Review: Kay Kay Menon's Performance And The Taut Storyline Keeps You Hooked". Outlook India. 13 November 2021. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  18. ↑ "INTERVIEW: Neeraj Pandey on Operation Romeo, Vikram Vedha, Special Ops 2 and Chanakya". PINKVILLA. 20 April 2022. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
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