Special Ops 2: Neeraj Pandey left Karan Tacker and Tahir Raj Bhasin anxious with his shooting style; here's what happened next
Neeraj Pandey's Special Ops is back with a 2.0 version; it took half a decade for the series to release with a new season and fresh faces
Last Updated: 05.17 PM, Jul 08, 2025
Tahir Raj Bhasin has joined Neeraj Pandey with Special Ops 2, while Karan Tacker had already worked with the director in the first season. The two actors, who have collaborated with the filmmaker through Special Ops, went through a similar experience. Their shooting process left both the actors anxious about whether their takes were okay. Here's what happened next...
Tahir Raj Bhasin spills the beans on Neeraj Pandey's shooting process
Tahir Raj Bhasin was talking to Dainik Bhaskar, which is when he revealed that Neeraj Pandey has a completely different style of shooting a project. He experienced it for the first time with Special Ops 2, and was nervous for most of the shots. The actor revealed, "Usually when you work with a director, he says good, excellent or great take. Neeraj Pandey says moving on. For the first five days, I felt I was doing something wrong. One day, I asked someone on the set if he was getting the shot he wanted? Because you never know." Of course, eventually Tahir learned that it was just Neeraj Pandey's way of shooting for a project.
Karan Tacker knows the feeling, recalls his experience
Karan Tacker worked with Neeraj Pandey on Special Ops season 1, and then, he went on to star in Khakee: The Bihar Chapter. The actor instantly understood Tahir Raj Bhasin's sentiment, for he went through the same emotions. He recalled how it was tougher on him because he felt nervous to talk to the filmmaker directly. Since he respected the filmmaker, Karan maintained a distance from him. However, he did end up asking Neeraj Pandey directly one day if the shots were okay, since he wanted guidance if another take was required. "His reply was that if I have left for the next shot after one shot, then it means it is working for me. I will not compromise. Now I understand that when he says moving on, it means everything is okay for him," Karan Tacker explained.
Special Ops 2.0, five years later
Special Ops returns with a new season after five years. Neeraj Pandey had explored a spin-off story on Kay Kay Menon's character of Himmat Singh, but the cast was changed at the time. The spin-off, titled Special Ops 1.5: The Himmat Story, co-starred Aftab Shivdasani with Kay Kay Menon. The show is also out on JioHotstar and can be streamed via OTTplay Premium.