Not everyone can or should be hero from first frame: Motwane on Sacred Games' Sartaj

Mumbai: “Sacred Games” co-director Vikramaditya Motwane has said actor Saif Ali Khan was the first choice to essay the role of Mumbai Police cop Sartaj Singh in the Netflix Original Series. 

Motwane, who co-directed the series with Anurag Kashyap, and screenwriter Varun Grover engaged in an Ask Me Anything session on Reddit India in which the duo were asked a number of questions about the popular show. One of the Reddit users questioned the mediocrity of Sartaj’s character in the show, in response to which Motwane said “not everyone can or should be a hero from the first frame”. 

“Would be extremely boring to see that. The world is full of mediocre people trying to do the right thing or heroic things. That’s what makes him special,” he added. Motwane said the team did not make any compromises with the casting of the project and every actor went through a proper audition process for their respective parts.

The “Udaan” helmer shot with Saif, while Kashyap directed Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s portions. But in a recent interview with a TV channel, Saif had hinted that Motwane may not return as director on the second season of the series. 

When asked about the same, Motwane quipped, he will leave the show if Netflix brings in “David Fincher/James Watkins” to direct the next season. “Sacred Games” is based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Vikram Chandra, premiered on Netflix from July 6.