The Freelancer review: Mohit Raina and Anupam Kher's deadly extraction mission is gripping and edgy

3.5/5

Story:

Based on the book A Ticket to Syria, The Freelancer follows Avinash Kamath, a former police officer turned mercenary, as he embarks on an extraction mission to free his deceased friend's recentlywed daughter who becomes trapped by a terrorist organization in war-torn Syria. The Neeraj Pandey creation stars Mohit Raina, Anupam Kher, and Kashmira Pardeshi in pivotal roles, along with Navneet Malik, Ayesha Raza Mishra, Manjari Fadnnis, and Sushant Singh in supporting roles.

Review:

There have been multiple films and series, such as Tiger Zinda Hai, Baaghi 3, and more, that follow almost the same storyline, including an extraction mission, a war-torn country, and innocent men or women trapped by terrorists. Even though it has a similar basic plot to those films, Disney+ Hotstar's The Freelancer has its own unique way of storytelling that makes it different and an appealing watch.

Avinash Kamath from Raina, who hasn't been back to his country in almost ten years since losing his job as a police officer, starts the show with a difficult mission. Along with the intense combat sequences and gunfights, the series showcases the notable top view of an airport that looks huge and also reflects the grand budget of the show.

After his mission, the new mercenary returns to his country only to find his friend dead from an unusual suicide. Soon after that, he learns that his deceased old friend's newlywed daughter got trapped in war-torn Syria due to her extremist in-laws. Soon after that, with the help of his mentor, Dr. Arif Khan (Kher), the former Indian cop plans an extraction mission to get Aliya (Pardeshi) out of the hell hole!

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The actors Anupam Kher and Mohit Raina themselves are in charge of the Bhav Dhulia directorial, which Neeraj Pandey created. The makers seem to take a known story and turn it into a thrilling, exciting, and gripping tale. From Aliya smartly connecting to her rescuer even in the most unsafe and dangerous environment to Avinash accumulating all his power and resources to help and get the trapped girl back to her home, the series keeps you hooked to the screen due to its uncertain twists and the surprising turn of events in the show when you least expect them.

Raina's reactions to his co-actors in a lot of scenes remind you of his Mahadev character as they put his 'zen mode' on, as he can be seen listening to his former with the exact same patience and calmness as he used to do in his 2011 television show, Devon Ke Dev...Mahadev. However, the actor aced the action-packed sequences.

Kher, on the other hand, emerges as one of the most crucial characters of the show, who doesn't appear very frequently in the series but always leaves a mark whenever he does. Pardeshi as Aliya gets quite a lot of opportunities to showcase her act in various kinds of situations, and the young actor doesn't disappoint. Meanwhile, Singh, Mishra, and Fadnnis can be seen in a decent supporting role, and Malik leaves an impact as an antagonist.

The first season features only four episodes, and the end of the last one leaves a huge and gripping cliffhanger, which informs us that the upcoming installment is set to be even more dynamic and thrilling. However, the finale of the first part is a little unsettling and doesn't seem like an end but a middle part of the story, and it makes you realise that both seasons could have been compiled into just one huge series.

Verdict:

Nevertheless, the gripping and thrilling storytelling as well as the power-packed performances by Mohit Raina, Anupam Kher, Kashmira Pardeshi, and Navneet Malik in the Neeraj Pandey-created series don't disappoint you and keep you on the edge of your seat.