Is Ganesh Gaitonde alive? Will there be a nuclear war? Sacred Games’ confusing ending explained

We know that you’re confused by Sacred Games’ ambiguous ending. Here are a few theories to help you figure out what really happened, and more importantly, what role Guruji plays in the story.

Sometime during bingeing Netflix’s first Indian original series, Sacred Games, it became clear that the season will not end with a definitive conclusion. The plot pits two men - Saif Ali Khan’s cop, Sartaj Singh, and Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s gangster, Ganesh Gaitonde - against each other in a race against time to save Mumbai. Gaitonde -- in the show’s opening scene -- warns Sartaj that the city will be decimated in 25 days, thus setting into motion Sartaj’s quest for clues. But the show ends with 14 days of Gaitonde’s 25 still remaining and more questions than answers. So the internet is here, as always, to help us fill in the gaps.

Saif Ali Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui star in Netflix’s Sacred Games.

Sartaj begins a 25 day race against time.

In the final scene of the first season, Sartaj stumbles upon a bunker and discovers the body of a man named Trivedi - one of Gaitonde’s three fathers, the others being the politician Bhosle and a godman known as Guruji. The bunker has supplies stacked up against the wall and Trivedi is discovered with a gas mask beside him.

Sartaj discovers Trivedi’s body in the bunker.

Some people on Reddit have pointed out that the availability of supplies such as food and water suggest that Trivedi wasn’t supposed to die, and something must have forced Gaitonde - who himself dies in the opening scene of the first episode - to kill him. Gaitonde makes references to having been betrayed by those he trusted the most, which is what fuels his revenge spree.

There have also been questions about the believability of Gaitonde’s death, helped in part by his surreal resurrection after having shot himself in front of Sartaj. And he does, let’s not forget, narrate his story from beyond the grave.

Noticed the Geiger counter next to Trivedi’s body?

One person on Reddit theorised that Trivedi might not be dead at all and that he might just be heavily sedated. The presence of a Geiger counter beside his body, however, suggests something more sinister is afoot. The instrument is used to measure radiation, which suggests that the threat Gaitonde was referring to might be nuclear in nature. And as the more eagle-eyed viewers must have spotted, in the opening credits of the show, this happens:

Nuclear cloud!

The theory suggests that Gaitonde has sedated Trivedi to help him survive a nuclear attack. It is also possible that Guruji - who will have a much more central role in future episodes, co-director Anurag Kashyap told us - originally intended for Gaitonde to survive the nuclear attack, and rise from the ashes as a God-like figure. Gaitonde often compares himself to God during the show. “Gaitonde tortured Trivedi until he told him that they (Trivedi, Guruji, and Bhosle) had betrayed him. Those three planned to nuke Mumbai and start some type of war. Gaitonde did not anticipate killing himself,” one person wrote.

Guruji first contacted Gaitonde when he was held in solitary confinement.

It should be noted that Gaitonde makes it a point to tell Sartaj in great detail of the time he spent in solitary confinement in prison, which lasted two months, and was perhaps orchestrated by Guruji.

Guruji is the thread that connects Sartaj and Gaitonde.

There is also the matter of a shipment of guns, which Sartaj discovers and had been smuggled into the country by Bhosle, perhaps in an effort to arm soldiers to protect the country in an impending attack - an attack foreseen by Guruji.

Another theory, this one on YouTube, compares the character of Malcolm, played in the show by Luke Kenny, to David Headley, an alleged ISI agent who played a part in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.

Only eight episodes of the show have aired so far, with a plan for three more seasons of eight episodes each, according to Saif. With the attention and acclaim the series has received so far, it seems likely that Sacred Games will soon be renewed for season 2.

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