'Sacred Games' gets the green light for second season

Actor Saif Ali Khan will be back as police officer Sartaj Singh in the second season of crime drama series "Sacred Games", streaming platform Netflix announced on Friday.

The announcement that "Sacred Games 2" is in the pipeline was made with a teaser video, read a statement.

"The worst is yet to come. 'Sacred Games' will be back for Season 2," read a post from the official Netflix India Twitter account.

Based on author Vikram Chandra's best-selling novel, the first season of the series -- produced by the Anil Ambani-led Reliance Entertainment's Phantom Films joint venture -- received viewer appreciation and critical acclaim worldwide for its gritty plot and power-packed performances.

The series, available in local languages in different markets, tells the tale of Sartaj, a seasoned and cynical Mumbai police officer who is summoned one morning by an anonymous tip which promises him an opportunity to capture the powerful Ganesh Gaitonde, criminal overlord of the G-Company.

Season 2 will be back with a new trail of betrayal, crime, passion, and a thrilling chase through Mumbai's underbelly.

The second season picks up from Sartaj pursuing his relentless battle of saving the city and Ganesh Gaitonde (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) facing bigger challenges to retain his position as the legendary kingpin of Mumbai.

The intriguing Guruji (Pankaj Tripathi), introduced in season one as Gaitonde's 'third father', plays a pivotal role in unfolding a chain of events that shape the next season, which is scheduled to film in India and locations overseas this fall.

Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap will continue directing Gaitonde's track, while Neeraj Ghaywan will take over Sartaj's plot. Vikramaditya Motwane and Varun Grover will continue their roles of being the showrunner and the lead writer respectively.

Erik Barmack, Vice President, International Originals at Netflix, said: "We've been thrilled by the response to 'Sacred Games' from fans worldwide, and especially in India, to this high quality production. It's incredibly exciting for us to take the story of 'Sacred Games' forward and open a new chapter in the series with its second season."