'Salakaar' Review: Naveen's Spy Drama Will Keep You On Your Toes But Ultimately Is Missing Something

Salakaar was released on JioHotstar on August 8, 2025. The series is a spy thriller with its focus on espionage, nuclear threats, and unfinished business between the two rival neighbours, India and Pakistan. While there have been several such thrillers that revolve around the enmity between India and Pakistan, this one's a bit different, as it is inspired by real-life events. However, while the essence has left the viewers intrigued, the plot's inconsistencies leave them unsatisfied. 

Naveen Kasturia's Salakaar is an intriguing story of Indo-Pak espionage

The series stars some of the most well-known faces in the industry, including Naveen Kasturia, Mouni Roy, Surya Sharma and Mukesh Rishi. The series is set across two timelines, one dating back to 1978 and the other running in the present, that is, 2025. The story kicks off in Abbottabad, Pakistan and follows the covert missions surrounding Pakistan's secret nuclear mission.

The 'Colonel Ashfaq Ullah' essayed by Surya Sharma is depicted as a hardcore anti-Indian figure in the series. He receives a classified file containing the blueprint of a secret nuclear plant in Kahuta. However, after a quick exchange with the man, he murders him, giving the series a dramatic opening. Moni Roy essays the role of 'Shristi Chaturvedi', an undercover RAW agent who is pretending to be a tuition teacher named 'Mariam'. She uses her cover to get close to 'Ashfaq' and manages to photograph the blueprint using her spy-camera glasses.

The bold but also a little awkward scenes are a dive into the 'honey trap' territory right from the start. On the other end of the series, back in India, the RAW headquarters receives the file and their system flags a similar document file that is in their archive. However, the only ones with access to those files are the Prime Minister and National Security Advisor, Adhir Dayal (Purnendu Bhattacharya). This brings us to our very first flashback in 1978, which shows a young Dayal (played by Naveen Kasturia) posing as a cultural attache in Islamabad. He was sent on a high-stakes mission to stop Pakistan from building a nuclear bomb.

The series thereafter delves into the nuclear angle combined with the ultimate cat and mouse games between the two intelligence agencies and the morally compromised spies. While some state that the character of 'Adhir' is roughly based on Ajit Doval, others failed to find the similarities. While Mouni is portrayed as the femme fatale of the series, the number of occasions she has been found in distress leaves the viewers unimpressed. What began as a clear mission in 1978 loses that clarity in 2025, as viewers feel that Salakaar lacks logic in several scenarios.

What are netizens thinking of Salakaar?

Salakaar has its moments, but they are not evenly distributed throughout the series, leaving viewers feeling they are not evenly spaced. A user penned, "Honestly. It's good. The acting of every actor is commendable. The story is above average. It's fiction. But, good. Arc comes to an end. Satisfying to say the least. What's bad are the inconsistencies. Too many plot holes. It could have been better." Another wrote, "In the third episode, Adhir Dayal from 1978 and Mariam from 2025 crossed each other on the road. How is that even possible lol." 

What are your thoughts on Salakaar? Let us know.

Next Read: Smriti Irani Reacts To Being The Highest-Paid TV Actor With Rs. 14 L Per Episode, 'If You Deliver..'

AWESOME NEWS! Now you can download BollywoodShaadis app and never miss a story. Get App

AWESOME NEWS! Now you can download BollywoodShaadis app and never miss a story. Choose your device Android or IOS (Apple)