The Freelancer, the Disney+ Hotstar original, is a Neeraj Pandey creation that brings a lot of topics regarding international politics and radical Islam to the forefront. One of the leading characters of the show is Avinash Kamath, who has led a roller coaster of a life that has taken him to many parts of the world.
Spoilers Ahead
Avinash Kamath is introduced as a private mercenary who takes up contractual work from various governments or their intelligence agencies and carries out hit jobs without making a lot of noise. Avinash operates from Tangiers, Morocco with the help of his “M”-like boss, Professor Khan, who connects him to contacts from across the globe. The man seems to be earning well and, for a long time, has remained under the radar. His team would include people from across the world and some from India, who, just like him, are military-trained men.
Avinash is forced to come back to India when he learns that his ex-colleague and best friend for many years, an ex-cop, Inayat Khan, was killed in front of the American Embassy. Initially, it was considered to be a terrorist attack, but an investigation ruled it a suicide. Inayat Khan’s action shocked Avinash, and he learned about his friends’ predicament from his distraught wife, Sabeena Khan. Inayat was trying to locate his daughter Aliya, who had been married off to a rich Malaysia-based family. All of them disappeared after his last conversation with Aliya from Turkey. Inayat and Sabeena were tired of not receiving help from the state police or the ministry. Sabeena and Inayat suspected Aliya was either dead or had been kidnapped by her husband’s family to an undisclosed location. Inayat was forced to kill himself to get the attention of the Americans on the matter and get Avinash in action as well.
Avinash, being a mercenary, was being watched by IB and R&AW. He reached Mumbai discreetly and was made aware of the family that Aliya was married into. It did not take Avinash long to conclude that this could be a case of a radicalized family that forcefully took their daughter-in-law to an unknown location. Avinash also got in touch with Farhat Khaala and found out about the family that Aliya was married into. Farhat was proudly talking about leading the family into doing the right thing for their faith, which implied that Aliya was most likely with them and alive. Avinash was in possession of a diverse skill set and a group he could assemble on his command, but he had to make use of other options to make sure Aliya was safely extracted from ISIS-controlled Syria. Avinash had built a strong network of contacts from around the world thanks to Professor Khan, who helped him build a solid plan to extract Aliya.
Avinash and Inayat had worked together as officers with the Mumbai police when they were suspended for misconduct. Avinash’s life went through a slump, which included him losing his son to a freak accident, followed by a spell with alcoholism. His wife, Mrunal, also went through a long phase of depression and amnesia due to the untimely passing of their son. Avinash was initially hired to murder Professor Khan, but the target was impressed by his gunman skills. Professor Khan noticed Avinash could sustain himself if he was given the right training. As a way to atone for his mistakes Avinash joined military training in the UK. This training helped him to sharpen his skills and become a mercenary nicknamed ‘The Freelancer’. His work involved a lot of contract-based jobs, which led to the said name, and there had been no looking back for him. Avinash not only wanted a purpose in life after his family fell apart, but he was also looking to earn well so that he could help Mrunal get better. The contractual jobs eventually made them financially sound, and it helped him move to Morocco. Mrunal moved to a health facility that could help with her mental health issues. His life as a mercenary kept him away from India and the people he had left behind, including Inayat. He never stayed in touch, which made him feel guilty after he lost Inayat the way he did. Avinash had become emotionally stunted. Even in the case of Mrunal, for the most part, he was unable to come to grips with Mrunal’s deteriorating health.
Avinash had a rude awakening upon hearing about Inayat’s death, which made him pack his bags and head off to locate Aliya. Professor Khan was instrumental in helping Avinash contact the CIA in the hope they would be able to provide some assistance if they got something valuable in return. Avinash probably felt some guilt about not being there for his son when he was alive. Aliya was like his daughter, and he had to save the girl from being flogged or, worse, killed by the terrorists.
Avinash was somehow able to contact Aliya and connect her to her mother as well. He gave her strict instructions on how much time she could spend on the spare phone without creating any suspicion. His years of experience in this field helped form an elaborate plan that involved the American agency as well. His contact with the CIA again caught the attention of R&AW and IB, and they were in desperate need to find out what Avinash was up to. Avinash was livid at the fact that IB and R&AW did not do anything to save an Indian citizen from a terrorist-controlled area. Their ineffectiveness came as a blessing in disguise, which made him take up the job.
Avinash did not care about the politics of the faith that was ruling the small town in Syria; his only goal remained to save Aliya and fulfill the promise he had made to Sabeena. Avinash and the Professor made sure to have a proper exit strategy after Aliya was extracted from Syria to avoid any run-ins or a possible attack on the young girl by the terrorist outfit or the family she was married into.
As expected, the CIA backed out of the deal because, for them, Aliya’s brother-in-law, a terrorist named ‘The Pilot’, was a bigger threat. Aliya’s intelligence helped them, but they had no intention of saving her. Avinash had a plan B in case this situation arose. He made R&AW and IB negotiate with the CIA based on the intelligence he had acquired about Aliya’s husband. This would give him time to extract Aliya with his team, and the CIA could bomb the house in no time. To safeguard himself and Aliya from getting sucked into the bureaucratic world of the CIA, he formulated an affidavit that could protect him in case he or Aliya died on this mission. Avinash was aware the CIA would try to outsmart them, and he created this document just to make sure that did not happen.
Avinash was able to save Aliya in the nick of time and shift her to Dubai with a new identity. IB and R&AW were in on this plan because it pertained to an Indian citizen. Aliya’s life could be in danger because ISIS was still at large. Avinash had so far managed to close all the routes that could take the CIA and the ISIS to Aliya because she was family. It could be the first time Avinash felt content with the results as the mission ended. He did not charge anyone any money, but it still gave him the satisfaction of helping someone by risking his life.
This mission also brought him closer to his wife. A long scene in the show involved Avinash preparing an elaborate dinner for his wife, who was permitted to have dinner with him. It was during this time that Avinash revealed that he had erred and wanted to rectify his mistakes. He was aware that tragedies make them sad, but they also make them stronger. He requests that his wife move past the tragedy slowly and make a beautiful life going forward. Avinash was sincere because he was not sure if he would come back alive after the mission. He wanted to let Mrunal know he was willing to look forward and help her recover and not be in denial about it anymore. Avinash could finally tap into his emotions thanks to this mission. He went back to Tangiers in the hope of restarting his life as a married couple with Mrunal.
