The specialist of espionage thrillers Neeraj Pandey, who has to his credit films like A Wednesday (2008), Special 26 (2013), Baby (2015), among others, made his digital debut in 2020 with Special Ops. Headlined by Kay Kay Menon, the eight-episode series garnered a nod from both critics and viewers for its sleek and taut storytelling and compelling performances.

Nominated in the Best Series (Thriller) category in the mid-day and Radio City Hitlist OTT Awards, Special Ops is inspired by several espionage missions undertaken by India in the last two decades.  Staying true to his style, Pandey explains that he spent years conducting extensive research for the Disney+Hotstar series. “We spent a lot of time researching and reading about [the subject] before diving into writing the series.” Emulating the set pattern of making a film, Pandey reasons he applied the same logic with the series. “[Irrespective of the medium], the approach of making a thriller doesn’t change. We spent the same amount of time and effort as we would on a feature film,” says the filmmaker.