Taskaree: The Smuggler's Web review: Emraan and Neeraj Pandey strike a golden combo!

Taskaree: The Smuggler's Web review: Emraan and Neeraj Pandey strike a golden combo!

‘Taskaree: The Smuggler's Web’ - is a relentless and racy thriller that pays homage to the valour and vigilance of the Guardians of the Gateway! A quintessential Neeraj Pandey show that benefits enormously from the thorough research on gold smuggling,

Picking tabloid strips on crimes with a realized potential and transposing them onto screen has been the forte of filmmaker Neeraj Pandey. Spy drama, military espionage, heists thrillers – he has dabbled in all genres creating an impressive repertoire for himself. In his latest project, ‘Taskaree: The Smuggler's Web’ Pandey explores the intriguing world of smuggling across borders, spotlighting the perpetual war of wits between Mumbai Custom agents and the dangerous international Al-Dera based syndicate.

With the Mumbai Customs overwhelmed with escalating cases of contraband trafficking, a suspended but dedicated customs officer, Arjun Meena (Emraan Hashmi) and his team is brought back to task to take on a notorious kingpin, Bada Chaudhury (Sharad Kelkar) with his aids, Anna ( Sumit Nijhawan) and Suresh (Jameel Khan), leading a powerful syndicate.

Arjun and his team, comprising Mitali Parekh (Amruta Khanvilkar, superb) and Ravindra Gujjar ( Nandish Singh Sandhu, smart!) is what their young boss, Prakash Kumar (Anurag Sinha, earnest) ever aspired for – hungry, motivated and honest. And in no time, their national security mission snowballs into a racy and relentless one with unexpected obstacles posing risks to their lives.

‘Taskaree: The Smuggler's Web’ has the quintessential spirit of Pandey – with co-director Raghav Jairath, he creates a world replete with double-crosses, deception and daring and forays into a space that operates quietly and precisely under perpetual pressure. He creates heroes who are grounded, smart-eyed and devoid of heroics. His characters may lack emotional arc and depth but they are linked to an engine that generates pressure cooker urgency, especially in the last two episodes where he amplifies the stakes and tension.

Technically, ‘Taskaree: The Smuggler's Web’ hops geographies and benefits from Pandey’s penchant for sprawling deserts, aerial shots, long takes and rotating camera. But the over-colored frames are too glaring for the eyes.