Set in the 1970s, Saare Jahan Se Accha follows an Indian undercover R&AW agent played by Pratik Gandhi, who is sent to Pakistan to prevent it from becoming a nuclear power
A still from Saare Jahan Se Accha
Think of rewatching Meghna Gulzar’s Raazi (2018) starring Alia Bhatt? Netflix’s latest outing, Saare Jahan Se Accha, which releases ahead of the Independence Day weekend, shares an uncanny resemblance to it — the only difference being the long-format storytelling.
Set in the 1970s, this spy thriller stars Pratik Gandhi, Tillotama Shome, Rajat Kapoor, Kritika Kamra, Anup Soni, Suhail Nayyar, and Sunny Hinduja. It follows an Indian undercover R&AW agent sent to Pakistan to prevent it from becoming a nuclear power. He must contend with his counterpart, an ISIS chief who has been tracking his every move.
A great ensemble wasted with subpar execution
As someone who has watched a multitude of espionage thrillers, I had high expectations for Saare Jahan Se Accha. The series opens with the conspiracy surrounding Indian nuclear physicist Dr Homi Bhabha’s death in a plane crash — Bhabha being widely credited as the father of India’s nuclear programme. While India, under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, maintains its stance against going nuclear, Pakistan dreams of weaponising to the fullest under President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.
Pratik goes undercover as a diplomat with his wife, Tillotama, in a bid to sabotage Pakistan’s plans — only to be met by his rival, Sunny, who tries to outwit him throughout the series.
What follows is a race against time, pulling together every possible resource strategically placed in Pakistan. Will Pratik manage to stop the inevitable without blowing off his cover is what forms the crux of this series.
Suhail Nayyar stands out as an undercover broker plagued by anxiety at the thought of being caught. His performance hits the mark despite being surrounded by an exceptional cast. Similarly, Sunny, playing the ruthless ISIS chief, tries to channel Christoph Waltz’s Hans Landa from Inglourious Basterds (2009). It works, but only to an extent.
That being said, Tillotama Shome, Rajat Kapoor, and Kritika Kamra — actors of unquestionable calibre — are sadly underused here, with minimal screen time and underdeveloped character arcs.
Final verdict
It feels like Indian OTT is now following the same tired formula Bollywood has relied on for decades. The creative wells appear to be running dry, leaving us with middling content. Throw in some cool spy gadgets, Morse code transmitters, and the inner turmoil of saving the nation, and voilà — you have yourself yet another espionage thriller. That being said, Saare Jahan Se Accha is still far from the worst content to hit OTT in 2025.
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