The Freelancer Review: Neeraj Pandey delivers another winner, this time with Mohit Raina

Neeraj Pandey’s cinema has its own charm and that is reflected in his characterization and storytelling pattern. Be it a biopic or a thriller, Neeraj’s craft has an edge to hold the attention through the screenplay. The trailer of his next for digital world, The Freelancer got me excited to watch the series. Does it live up to the expectations? Let’s find out!

Plot of The Freelancer:

The Freelancer is based on the best-selling novel, A Ticket To Syria, however, the team has changed the setup of the film from Maldives to India. The series is basically based on a rescue mission undertaken by an ex-cop turned mercenary, Avinash Kamath (Mohit Raina). The character embarks on a journey to bring back Aliya (Kashmira Pardeshi), the daughter of his best friend and suspended cop, Inayat (Sushant Singh), after she has been unknowingly trapped in war-torn Syria. How does Avinash track the entire nexus? Does he manage to get in touch with Aliya? Is he successful in the mission? All of this unfolds in The Freelancer.

What works for The Freelancer?

Creator Neeraj Pandey, Director Bhav Dhulia along with fellow Writers Ritesh Shah and Shirish Thorat, take no time in establishing the plot of The Freelancer. 50 minutes into the series you can already feel invested in the sense of tense atmosphere that’s running amidst the key characters. Within no time, you are on the edge of your seat wondering what’s going to happen next. The story unfolds in a seamless pattern, with little time given to think.

The plot is tight-knotted with all the logic and demographics of global politics, as the team doesn’t leave room for any questions. Be it the journey of the characters from India to Syria, or the entire episode of tension on being trapped in the war zone – the ambiance of the series swiftly transforms from thrill to adrenaline rush and also makes you root for the freedom of Aliya.

One can also see a Neeraj Pandey stamp of clean content, as despite being set against the backdrop of terrorism, he doesn’t take the route of abuses and intimate sequences. The characterization and the intertwining of past and present is also done well, as every episode puts in the forefront a new facet of the character. The action scenes are also good enough for the world that Pandey has tried to create.

What also makes The Freelancer work is the fact that the series has a different voice from Pandey’s own espionage thriller, Special Ops. Though the maker integrates a lot of complex political scenarios, he simplifies it for the viewers.

What doesn’t work for The Freelancer?

Every story needs a completion and the biggest disappointment with regards to The Freelancer is the decision of Disney+Hotstar to split a single-season series abruptly into two parts. It’s like inviting the viewers to watch a film in the cinema halls and showcasing the content only till the interval. Splitting a season into a two-part series is easily among the worst innovations done by the OTT world, putting a full stop to the flow of content consumption. With so much happening in the digital world as well as the theatrical medium, it becomes quite difficult to evoke the same sort of emotions and get into the journey of characters all over again, especially for something in the zone of The Freelancer.

The same was the issue with Night Manager as well, where one lost complete connection with the plot through the 6-month waiting period. There are some series that seamlessly lead themselves to the second season, on completion of a certain arc, leading to a much bigger one, and then there are some that just abruptly end. The Freelancer falls in the second category, and it’s definitely a piece of content that warrants complete consumption in a flow over a period of a few days, rather than keeping a long wait period.

That aside, the production values of The Freelancer could have been better, as the visuals are not big enough for an espionage thriller speaking about an issue as big as the one that the series tackles. The action sequences, while being realistic, had the scope of being a lot bigger.

Performances of the cast in The Freelancer

Mohit Raina as Avinash Kamath does extremely well and has a screen presence that makes you believe in his capability to successfully undertake the rescue mission. Anupam Kher as Dr. Arif Khan acts well as a pivotal catalyst in the story, who mentors Avinash through his journey. Sushant Singh does a good job in his cameo, whereas Kashmira Pardeshi is actually the one who steals the show with her impactful performance, putting forward varied emotions. Ayesha Raza Mishra, Navneet Malik, Manjari Fadnnis, and Geeta Sharma, among others, do their job very well. The entire series is cast to perfection by the makers.

The Verdict of The Freelancer

Overall, The Freelancer is yet another winner from the hat of Neeraj Pandey in the digital space after Special Ops and Khakee: The Bihar Chapter. The series holds the attention from the first frame till the end and doesn’t shy away from putting out the harsh truth of the global terrorism scenario brewing between Syria and the rest of the world. It rides on strong performances, solid story and a gripping screenplay however, warranted better production values and a complete season drop, rather than splitting it into a two-parter.

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