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Cast: Emraan Hashmi, Sharad Kelkar, Amruta Khanvilkar, Nandish Sandhu, Anurag Sinha, Jameel Khan, and others
Creator: Neeraj Pandey
Director: Raghav Jairath, Neeraj Pandey
Streaming On: Netflix
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 7 episodes of 50 minutes each
Last year, Netflix started 2025 with a banger of a web series, Black Warrant, and it has done it again with Taskaree this year! Starring Emraan Hashmi, Amruta Khanvilkar, Sharad Kelkar, Nandish Sandhu, Jameel Khan, and others, the web series is an engaging crime drama involving the world of smuggling and how the Customs Department at the Mumbai Airport handles this crime!
Like any Neeraj Panday drama, the logline of this show is very simple – it is a cat-and-mouse chase between those who break the law and those who protect it. The crime drama ticks all the boxes for an engaging plot – there are a bunch of honest officers who want to eradicate the corruption and the evil in the system. They align together to fight against the smuggling syndicate and then begin a cat-and-mouse chase.
Taskaree: The Smuggler’s Web Review: What’s It About:
The blueprint of the show is very similar to that of Special 26. A bunch of underdogs come together to fight whatever is wrong in the system. Emraan Hashmi, Nandish Sandhu, and Amruta Khanvilkar join Anurag Sinha as a special team at the Mumbai Airport’s Customs Department to fight Chaudhary’s syndicate. Sharad Kelkar as the antagonist is as powerful as our protagonists!
Prakash Kumar (Anurag Sinha), a stoic and uncompromising officer, assembles a trio of sidelined talent: SI Arjun Meena (Emraan Hashmi), the brain; Mitali Kamath (Amruta Khanvilkar), the muscle; and Ravinder Gujjar (Nandish Sandhu). Their target is the Chaudhary Syndicate, a global hydra led by Bada Chaudhary (Sharad Kelkar), operating out of Lake Como and Al-Dera. What follows next is a very interesting crime drama and the hero of this series is definitely the writing!
Taskaree: The Smuggler’s Web Review: What Works:
The show is essentially a handbook on smuggling. Like any other Neeraj Pandey drama, it is well researched, and in the opening episodes, it drags us into this cobweb itself – the mechanics of customs – scanning, fake manifests, coded routes, and the popats – the carriers who hide gold in laptop handles or exotic monkeys in jacket pockets.
Neeraj Pandey uses the airport brilliantly. It itself is a character. There are walking shots that never end, but they perfectly create the tension needed. The show treats the audience with intelligence, and it is a masterstroke!
Taskaree: The Smuggler’s Web Review: Star Performance:
Emraan Hashmi continues his streak of reinvention roles. As Arjun Meena, he sheds the flamboyant avatar for a performance rooted in stillness. His starry walk remains the highlight, but he channels it into an authoritative presence that relies on intelligence rather than muscle and swag. He is the anchor of the show, delivering sharp dialogue with a calculated, low-key intensity.
Meanwhile, Sharad Kelkar’s Bada Chaudhary is not the typical loud-mouthed villain. He plays a cool, business-like role and operates within the system’s loopholes. He is incredible as a modern-day kingpin who views smuggling as a corporate logistics challenge. Amruta Khanvilkar is impressive as the active field agent. She is sharp and street smart, a lethal combination that works on screen. Nandish Sandhu plays an honest man caught in a family of corrupts trying to take a different path.
Anurag Sinha, as the guiding light, brings a balance to this team. In fact, the best part here is that the ensemble works together in unison, and no one overshadows the others; kudos to the writing team for such a balanced shaping of the character arcs!
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Taskaree: The Smuggler’s Web Review: What Doesn’t Work:
The only flaw with Taskaree is the length. It could have easily been 2 episodes shorter and crisp. The backstories of the characters do not create an impact. In fact, the antagonists of the show, apart from Sharad Kelkar, fail to impress, and they should have given a healthier chunk to function!
Taskaree: The Smuggler’s Web Review: Last Words:
Taskaree is the same old story, but still very engaging with its plot points. More so, it brings an intelligent crime drama that operates without guns and plays with the brain, making it easier to connect with. It is definitely a great start to this year.
Dear Neeraj Pandey, please keep us entertained forever.
3.5 stars
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