Taskaree Review: Unique concept of Smuggling that impresses and refines familiar elements with sincerity and craft
Taskaree Web Series Rating: 3.5 Stars
Watched Taskaree Web Series on Netflix. Now, let’s analyze the cast, release date, story, positive/negatives and at last my personal view on this web series.
Cast: Emraan Hashmi, Sharad Kelkar, Amruta Khanvilkar, Zoya Afroz, Nandish Sandhu and Anurag Sinha
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Release Date: 14th January 2025 on Netflix
Duration: 7 Episodes/ 40 Minutes
Story: Story revolves around Mumbai’s international airport, where a serious war is being fought against organized smuggling. With elections approaching and pressure mounting on the government, the finance minister orders the Customs Department to crack down on illegal trade. To lead this mission, Assistant Commissioner Prakash Kumar (Anurag Sinha) is appointed who is a strict and honest officer determined to clean up the system.
Prakash’s first move is to bring back three suspended officers known for their integrity and they are Arjun Meena (Emraan Hashmi), Mitali Kamath (Amruta Khanvilkar), and Ravinder Gujjar (Nandish Sandhu). Together, they form a special team tasked with taking down a powerful international smuggling syndicate led by Ranjeet Choudhary, also known as Bada Choudhary (Sharad Kelkar)
Operating from Italy, Ethiopia, and a Middle Eastern city called Al Dera, Choudhary controls the illegal movement of gold, drugs, luxury watches, and other contraband into India. With smart planning and help from a mole, Priya Khubchandani (Zoya Afroz), Choudhary is motivated to smuggle a large consignment of gold, drugs, watches, etc. into India through Mumbai’s airport after receiving a tip that security checks will be relaxed on a particular day.
Meanwhile, Arjun and his team prep for what could be the biggest seizure in the history of the Mumbai Customs Department in a day. However, several challenges remain and there could be serious consequences if they get into the bad books of Choudhary. The series follows both sides of the battle, showing how smugglers exploit loopholes and how Customs officers try to stay one step ahead. The story builds towards a high-risk interception that could become the biggest seizure in the history of Mumbai Customs.
Positives
1. Performances
2. Story
3. Direction
4. Cinematography
Negatives
1. Length
2. Uneven Screenplay
3. Unnecessary subplots
4. Climax
Durgesh Tiwary’s View: When I watched the trailer of this web-series planned to watch in my free time as loved the trailer and liked previous series of Neeraj Pandey. A dedicated customs officer and his team take on a notorious smuggler leading a powerful syndicate, but unexpected obstacles threaten their mission.
Taskaree: The Smuggler’s Web sets out with a promising and unfamiliar premise. Instead of centering on police or intelligence agents, it explores the world of Indian Customs officers working at Mumbai’s international airport to dismantle a global smuggling network. On paper, this feels refreshing. In execution, however, the series struggles to turn its novelty into a compelling narrative. It marks creator Neeraj Pandey’s return to the familiar territory of high-stakes law enforcement dramas, a space he has consistently shaped with shows like Khakee and Special Ops. Co-directed by Pandey and Raghav Jairath, this seven-episode series shifts focus from espionage to smuggling, exploring a less-glamorized but equally dangerous battlefield. Set largely within the pressure-cooker confines of Mumbai International Airport, the show attempts to balance procedural realism—customs officers versus Popat (aka carriers) with the urgency of a binge-worthy thriller. At its core, it examines what it means to fight an enemy that thrives in invisibility. Smuggling here is not portrayed as a series of isolated crimes, but as a deeply entrenched global network driven by greed, power, and systemic loopholes. The series smartly underscores the moral ambiguities of law enforcement, where rules are rigid, time is scarce, and failure has national security implications. The writing is layered and largely authentic, though not immune to genre familiarity. Several twists land effectively, while others are predictable, telegraphed well in advance. Still, the sub-hour episode format ensures the pacing rarely slackens, making the show compulsively watchable despite its narrative conveniences. 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.
The performances in of this series play a major role in keeping the series engaging, even when the writing loses focus. Emraan Hashmi, as Customs officer Arjun Meena, brings his familiar charm and confidence to the role. Amruta Khanvilkar is a pleasant surprise as Mitali Kamath. Her performance feels natural, and she handles both the emotional and action-heavy moments with ease. Nandish Sandhu, as Ravinder Gujjar, is steady and dependable, though his character is not given enough depth to truly shine. Anurag Sinha makes a strong impression as Assistant Commissioner Prakash Kumar. His strict body language and controlled expressions suit the role of an officer trying to fix a broken system. Sharad Kelkar, as the smuggler Bada Choudhary, looks the part of a powerful international villain. He is a seasoned actor, and his performance exactly shows why he is so good at what he does. Zoya Afroz is effective as Priya, the air hostess caught between danger and duty. The supporting cast, including Jameel Khan, Freddy Daruwala, and Akash Ayyar, contribute solid performances that help build the world of the series, even when the script doesn’t fully explore their potential.
The biggest problem lies in the writing. The story moves forward through convenience rather than logic. Characters enter and exit the plot as needed and major developments occur without proper groundwork. The show wants to portray the Customs team as fearless and incorruptible, but their victories often feel too easy for the scale of the threat they face. A syndicate that supposedly controls international smuggling routes across Italy, Africa, and the Middle East is defeated with surprising simplicity. This weakens the stakes and drains the tension from what should have been a high-risk operation. Emraan Hashmi and his colleagues past suspension is vaguely referenced but never explored, and his personal conflicts remain surface-level. The rest of the Customs team suffers from the same issue. Mitali, Ravinder, and Prakash Kumar are defined by their professional roles rather than by distinctive personalities. The series tells us they are brave and ethical, but it rarely shows how these traits affect their inner lives. On the villain’s side, Bada Choudhary is introduced as a powerful international kingpin, yet he never feels genuinely threatening. His decisions are often careless, and his organization appears poorly coordinated for a network of this scale. The show wants him to be a mastermind, but his actions suggest otherwise. This mismatch between reputation and behavior makes the conflict feel artificial. One of the most unconvincing aspects of the story is the use of Priya, the air hostess who becomes an informant. Her decision to risk her life for the Customs team happens too quickly and without emotional depth. This slows the pace and makes the show feel more instructional than dramatic. When the narrative finally shifts into higher-stakes territory, it relies on familiar thriller shortcuts. Sudden betrayals, emotional deaths, and last-minute twists appear not because they grow naturally from the story, but because the genre expects them. These moments feel predictable rather than shocking. Instead of deepening the plot, they highlight its lack of structural strength. The show also struggles with consistency. At times, it wants to be a serious look at institutional corruption and moral responsibility. At other times, it leans into stylized action and exaggerated drama. These tonal shifts make it difficult to take the story seriously. The emotional consequences are rarely explored with the depth they deserve.
Overall, series may not reinvent the crime thriller, but it refines familiar elements with sincerity and craft. Its strength lies in believable performances, procedural detail, and sustained tension, even when the narrative takes the safer route. Imperfect yet engaging, the series is a solid, bingeable addition to Neeraj Pandey’s crime-drama repertoire. It brings an intelligent crime drama that operates without guns and plays with the brain, making it easier to connect with. It is a unique one-of-a-kind show on customs and smuggling and impresses with its light-hearted narrative, comic and dramatic moments, a few twists and performances by the lead cast. At the same time, the show doesn’t reach its full potential due to loose ends in the writing and a weak climax. My view on this series Recommended.
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