"My attempt was to keep it very real"
Pratik Gandhi and Sunny Hinduja’s Netflix series Saare Jahan Se Accha has become one of the platform’s biggest Hindi debuts.
The series premiered over the Independence Day weekend and made an immediate impact.
The espionage drama entered Netflix’s global Top 10 list within its first week, debuting in the Top 5.
According to Netflix data for August 11-17, the series ranked as the fifth most-watched non-English show worldwide.
It drew 2.3 million views, translating into 9.5 million viewing hours.
Directed by Sumit Purohit, the show runs across six forty-minute episodes.
Its ensemble cast includes Suhail Nayyar, Tillotama Shome and Anup Soni alongside Pratik Gandhi and Sunny Hinduja.
The series is produced by Sejal Shah and Bhavesh Mandalia, with the latter also serving as writer and showrunner.
Saare Jahan Se Accha begins with the death of Indian scientist Homi Bhabha in a 1966 plane crash before moving into the aftermath of the Indo-Pakistan war of 1971.
Pratik plays Vishnu, a resilient Indian spy tasked with outsmarting his Pakistani counterpart, Murtaza, played by Sunny. The story focuses on India’s attempts to sabotage Pakistan’s nuclear programme.
Creator Gaurav Arora said: “The hyper-realistic style is to show a very stylish spy with good-looking women and in exotic locations.
“My attempt was to keep it very real and to show their pain and pressure.”
Producer Sejal Shah highlighted the storytelling approach: “The idea was not to make a spectacle but to tell a story driven by the characters.
“And that is what we have here, characters who have a story, and both sides have stories.”
For Pratik, the role offered a break from typical spy portrayals. He explained:
“James Bond was my first-ever introduction to spies. I always felt that anyone who plays a spy on screen will be a very flashy, flamboyant guy, very charming.
“But I wouldn’t call this series a spy thriller. It is a spy drama. That makes it absolutely fresh for me as an actor.”
The strong debut positions Saare Jahan Se Accha among Netflix’s most successful Hindi originals to date.
With growing viewership, the series is expected to continue climbing in the global charts in the coming weeks.
Watch the Saare Jahan Se Accha Trailer
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