India, Aug. 8 -- Salakaar could well have been a film. Instead, it is a miniseries of five 30-minute episodes. The 2.5-hour runtime is a relief in the days of 6-hour arcs. I say relief, not because it stays gripping or packs a lot of thrills in a short time, but simply because it does not test your patience too long. Salakaar, like many spy thrillers that have come before it, has its heart in the right place. Everything else is sadly out of order.

Salakaar traverses two timelines. In 2025, RAW agent Maryam aka Srishti (Mouni Roy) is trying to thwart Pakistani Colonel Ashfaqullah's (Surya Sharma) plans to build a nuclear bomb. Aiding her is the 'salahakar', the National Security Advisor (Purnendu Sharma), who has some history with the Pak...