Saare Jahan Se Accha shows a human, real spy, away from the flashy style of James Bond: Pratik Gandhi | Interview

Pratik Gandhi, who plays a spy in Netflix's Saare Jahan Se Accha, talks about the show's unique characterisation.

For Pratik Gandhi, his new show, Saare Jahan Se Accha is more spy drama than a thriller. "That drama is a big part because we are dealing with complex human emotions," he tells us, explaining what separates the Netflix series from the overpopulated genre of spy thrillers in vogue today. Pratik spoke to HT along with the show's creators about its unique space and approach.

Pratik Gandhi plays a spy in Netflix's Saare Jahan Se Accha.

Keeping it real

Saare Jahan Se Accha tells the story of a RAW agent in Pakistan in the 1970s, whose mission is to prevent the nation from becoming an atomic power. Based on true events, the show gives up the swanky Bond and Pathaan-style narrative of espionage for one grounded in realism. The show's creator, Gaurav Arora, explains, "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."

What separates Saare Jahan Se Accha from other spy dramas is how it treats the 'enemy'. Its depiction of ISI agents and Pakistani Army officials as humans instead of one-dimensional characters has been noted. Sejal Shah, the producer, explains, “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.”

Not James Bond

Pratik plays Vishnu in the show, an Indian spy embedded in Pakistan. Talking about playing an everyman spy, he says, "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. He can do anything. He is almost a superhero. That was my initial understanding in my growing-up days. 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."

Saare Jahan Se Accha also stars Sunny Hinduja, Tillotama Shome, Anup Soni, Kritika Kamra, and Suhail Nayyar. The show is currently streaming on Netflix.