Tanaav Season 1 Review: A well-written espionage thriller that moves at a breakneck pace

REVIEW: Sudhir Mishra’s Indian adaptation, Tanaav is as well-written and intriguing as the original internationally-acclaimed Israeli series Fauda— created by Avi Issacharoff and Lior Raz, who has worked in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) special operations unit and drew inspiration from their real-life experiences. The plot moves at a breakneck pace throughout the season. If you’ve seen the original series, you can find plot parallels as well as character and sequence similarities, but the new audience will definitely find it gripping. The only significant difference is that Fauda revolves around the Israel-Palestine conflict, whereas this 12-part series centres on the Kashmir issue.

Set in Kashmir (2017), Kabir lives a secluded and peaceful life with his wife Nusrat (Sukhmani Sadana) and two children after retiring from STG. But when he gets the opportunity to identify Umar Riaz, aka Panther, he returns to the team to complete the unfinished mission. But things don’t go as planned, and Panther escapes just as Kabir is about to nail the man. Thus begins a cat-and-mouse chase between the two.

The fact that Panther is alive and planning something big in Kashmir worries Kabir the most. Obsessed with finding and finishing what he had started, he quickly descends into an abyss and finds himself at a crossroads between his existence and his pursuit of the elusive terrorist. Will he be able to catch him? What is Umar’s grand plan, and how does he intend to carry it out? These are just a few questions that drive the narrative of Tanaav.

Sudhir Mishra, who has co-directed this espionage thriller with Sachin Mamta Krishn, establishes the story’s basic premise before the drama takes centre stage. Every episode ends on a cliffhanger, compelling you to binge-watch the following one. The writing skillfully ties up all the loose ends by the climax while leaving room for the following season. Close-up shots are used wisely to capture the characters’ mental states. The majority of the scenes, such as Umar’s first meeting with his brother Asif, Umar popularly known as Panther, ambulance chases, and café blast, are identical to those in the original series; however, if you haven’t seen that, Tanaav will undoubtedly blow your mind.

These proceedings introduce us to a slew of new characters, all perfectly suited to the plot. Whether it’s STG head Vikrant (Arbaaz Khan) and his team members—Toshi (Sahiba Bali), Uday (Satyadeep Misra), Danish (Arryaman Seth), Kunal (Arslan Goni), Muneer (Amit Gaur), and Bilal (Rockey Raina)—or Indian Intelligence Group (IIG) Chief Mallik (Rajat Kapoor), all of them keep you invested in the story. On the opposing side of the group that backs Umar, his mother (played by Zarina Wahab), wife Zainab (Waluscha De Sousa), right-hand man Junaid (Shashank Arora), Mir Sahab (M K Raina), Idris (Mir Sarwar), and others have all done a good job of illustrating the balance between the various ideologies of people.

Manav Vij as the protagonist Kabir, is simply flawless. Vij realistically portrays his character as a man on the verge of self-destruction. Sumit Kaul, as Umar Riaz, is convincing and does a fantastic job portraying his character’s ability to remain emotionally stable despite suffering a great personal loss. He is not similar to the merciless terrorist we typically see in movies and shows; instead, he is shown as a family man who is just following the path he chose. Shashank Arora plays Junaid, the right hand and a guarding person to Umar Riaz. But, as the series progresses, he begins to second-guess his decisions and adds some intriguing plot twists.

Arbaaz Khan has limited screen time yet makes his presence felt. Rajat Kapoor captures the essence of his character perfectly. How Mallik interrogates, negotiates, and persuades people to provide more information and join his cause is commendable.

Thanks to its well-etched characters, even the female characters appear strong and are crucial to the narrative. Waluscha De Sousa delivered a career-best performance in portraying the wives and families of terrorists. On the other hand, Sukhmani Sadana as the protagonist’s wife, perfectly depicts how emotionally broken she is and how she needs a little support from her man. As a member of the STG unit, Sahiba Bali is formidable. Ekta Kaul convincingly portrays Dr Farah, who becomes Junaid and Kabir’s love interest. Zarina Wahab shines in a minor role, but she is underutilised in this show.

The aerial shots and drone views of Kashmir are simply breath-taking. The cinematography by Sachin Mamta Krishn elevates the impact of the drama. The dialogues add authenticity to the plot through perfect Kashmiri accents and some dialogues in Kashmiris’ native Koshur language. The editing is spot on. The show’s pace never slows, even during emotional scenes, and keeps viewers engaged. However, these characters appear to spend a lot of screen time discussing their personal lives when they should focus on finding the terrorists.

All things considered, Tanaav is the nail-biting presentation of the fictional story set in Kashmir. The performances and sheer intrigue of the story ensure that it becomes one of the most engrossing espionage thrillers in recent times.

PS. Many inter-conversational dialogues are in Koshur (the common language used by Kashmiris). So, keep the subtitles turned on.