Sacred Games season 2: Here are five biggest questions fans want an answer to, from ‘Who is Guruji?’ to ‘Will there be a war?’

With the second season of Netflix’s Sacred Games just around the corner, fans who’ve waited over a year with bated breath will finally have some burning questions answered. Season two of the acclaimed crime drama will be released on Netflix on August 15.

The story picks up immediately where it left off, with Saif Ali Khan’s stoic cop Sartaj Singh having discovered a nuclear bunker replete with clues about an impending terror attack, and Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s formidable gangster having been broken out of jail by a mysterious stranger.

Gaitonde -- in the show’s opening scene -- warns Sartaj that Mumbai 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.

 Watch an interview with Anurag Kashyap and Neeraj Ghaywan here:

Here are some of the biggest questions on fans’ minds before Sacred Games season 2 answers them on August 15.

What’s in the bunker?

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.

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.

Is a nuclear attack being planned?

The presence of a Geiger counter beside Trivedi’s body 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, a nuclear blast is foreshadowed.

Are weapons being smuggled into the country to prepare for religious warfare?

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.

Who does Kalki Koechlin play?

Kalki’s character seems to be particularly mysterious. She is seen in both the past and present scenes - perhaps a former devotee of Guruji who has since turned on him and his ideology. She is seen in the background of a shot towards the end of the trailer, which also shows Gaitonde, Luke Kenny’s hitman, and Sartaj’s dad. The senior Inspector Singh makes a quick appearance towards the end of the trailer, as he asks Gaitonde if he’s ever met God. Gaitonde in the last season had hinted at a deep relationship with Sartaj’s dad.

Kalki told Hindustan Times that her character, Batya Abelman, is partially inspired by Maa Anand Sheela, the controversial former right-hand woman to spiritual guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh.

Who is Guruji?

Pankaj Tripathi’s Guruji will play a central role in the second season of Sacred Games. In fact, Tripathi is credited on the same title card at the end along with Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Saif Ali Khan. Throughout the trailer, we are shown glimpses of his charismatic character. We see him deliver sermons, we see him plot terror attacks, conduct rituals, and maybe even have sex with one of his followers.

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