The upcoming Special Ops 1.5: The Himmat Story delves into the past of agent Himmat Singh, played by Kay Kay Menon. The actor returns in this stand-alone chapter to explore the origins of his popular character as he deals with politics and red tape once again.
The mini-series, due to be released on 12 November, will feature Aftab Shivdasani, Gautami Kapoor, Vinay Pathak, Parmeet Sethi, KP Mukherjee, Aishwarya Sushmita, Maria Ryaboshapka, Shiv Jyoti Rajput, Vijay Vikram Singh and Santanu Ghatak.
Special Ops 1.5 has been filmed in Mumbai and Delhi, as well as on multiple locations in Malaysia, Ukraine and Mauritius.
Creator Neeraj Pandey has returned to co-direct the series with Shivam Nair. "Special Ops has managed to create a space in the hearts of audiences as each character's story became an intense driving point in the series," he said. "But one character that massively stood out for fans was Himmat Singh. With Special Ops 1.5: The Himmat Story, we wanted to build the universe of Special Ops and give fans of our show a glimpse of the making of their favourite R&AW agent. Viewers will see what made Himmat Singh the man they loved in the first instalment."
Menon, who plays Singh, went on to say, "Through Special Ops 1.5: The Himmat Story, what we have managed to create is an extremely unique experience of delving deeper on why Himmat Singh, the R&AW agent, is the way he is. The audience has been introduced to his shortcomings and brilliance but through this instalment, the moments that led him to become a resilient agent with an undying attitude for his missions [will be depicted]. Playing Himmat Singh in Special Ops, for me, was an enriching experience as an actor. It required an understated manifestation of even the most explosive emotions that were brewing inside.
“The focus being pinpointed on the objective to be achieved without letting emotional vagaries and unchecked venting of it, spoil the path to the objective,” he added.
“Special Ops 1.5 will see the more impulse-driven, youthful side of Himmat which required the actor in me to adapt to it without losing the basic grain and essence of the person called Himmat. It had to be done in a way that, though he is different, yet the audiences could extrapolate and feel that, yes, this person would and could become the Himmat that we have seen in Special Ops 1.”
Set in the early 2000s, Special Ops 1.5 follows Singh as he teams up with an old friend (Vijay) from his academy days to track down a missing Indian official.