Taskaree: The Smuggler’s Web ~ In Focus

Taskaree: The Smuggler’s Web (Season 1, 2026) was recently released, and the show delves into the illegal smuggling operations in India. The Hindi title “Taskaree” (तस्करी) means “smuggling” or “trafficking.”

‘Taskaree: The Smuggler’s Web’ Is like an Entertaining Bollywood Masala Film

Synopsis

At the Customs Department in the Mumbai International Airport, Officer Arjun Meena’s (Emraan Hashmi) elite team faces a crucial mission: to halt the rising tide of contraband trafficking and dismantle the global crime syndicate of Bada Choudhary (Sharad Kelkar). So, in this contemporary crime drama, a dedicated customs officer and his team take on a notorious smuggler leading a powerful syndicate, but unexpected obstacles threaten their mission.

Neeraj Pandey

While watching Season 1 of this 7-part Hindi series “Taskaree: The Smuggler’s Web”, we felt as if we were watching a typical so-called Bollywood (using for lack of better word) potboiler masala movie from the late 1970s and early 1980s from India. Decades ago, in those days, the “Smugglers” used to rule the “Bombay” (now Mumbai) filmscape, mostly as the powerful gangster villains. Now, this Neeraj Pandey series takes us into that forgotten era. Especially for the Gen Z audience.

As expected, Neeraj brings the top-class and stylish Bollywood movie production values in the series storytelling. And Taskaree is no different. In his recent OTT series, the audience might find the common thread of love, romance, crime, action, drama, twists, turns, and a few more spices to suit the palate of the Indian audience. In the recent past, we have seen quite a few Hindi Web Series created by Neeraj.

• Special OPS (Season 1/2020 and Season 2/2025) Series
• Special Ops 1.5: The Himmat Story (2021) Series
• Khakee: The Bihar Chapter (2022) Series
• Khakee: The Bengal Chapter (2025) Series

[Also read our FM Series Review of the Special OPS 2 (2025) Hindi in our Focus Magazine.]

While watching the series created by Neeraj Pandey, do not be surprised by the unexpected twists and turns. So, be prepared and watch the series characters, who have shades of grey in their personalities.

Poster

Bollywood-Noir

In a typical Bollywood tale, when the Good and the Evil collide, the Good usually wins in the end. And this Indian tale, “Taskaree: The Smuggler’s Web”, is no different.

On one side is the team of the good people, the Indian Customs Officials and a Commoner, who are trying to bust a major smuggling ring at the Mumbai International Airport.

• Arjun Meena (Emraan Hashmi),
• Ravinder Gujjar (Nandish Sandhu),
• Prakash Kumar (Anurag Sinha),
• Mitali Kamath (Amruta Khanvilkar), and
• Airhostess, Priya Khubchandani (Zoya Afroz), etc

Then, on the other side, is the team of bad folks, the International Smuggler Criminals, who are running a lucrative trafficking of gold, foreign currencies, wildlife, and other luxury items through Mumbai airport.

• Bada Choudhary (Sharad Kelkar),
• Anna (Sumit Nijhawan),
• Suresh Kaka (Jameel Khan), and others.

This Hindi series explains the various ways the smugglers use to bring in the contraband items into the Indian market. Now, in this ongoing cat-and-mouse game, both teams use all sorts of tricks to gain the upper hand and defeat the opposing team. And of course, the bribes, the blackmail, the threats, the violence, and every other ploy are part of the cops and robbers game.

Positives & Negatives

📌 The “Taskaree: The Smuggler’s Web” is another glossy and globe-trotting show from the creator Neeraj Pandey. However, unlike the Special OPS and Khakee series, its story lacks the really shocking elements.

📌In a way, this Hindi series also reminded us of the National Geographic real-life series about the JFK Airport Surveillance, titled ‘To Catch a Smuggler’ on YouTube, that we watched a year ago.

📌To be honest, the acting performances by the entire ensemble cast mentioned in this series are simply okay. Maybe the story did not give them a chance to display their acting skills adequately.

📌Besides, some of the events and the sub-plotlines in this smuggling tale did not make sense to us. For example, as to how easily the Customs Officials recruit the informants in the show.

📌 The five-plus-hour-long series made it impossible for us to watch it in one sitting. Most certainly, it is not a bingeable kind of show, as it lacks the addictive content to hook the viewers.

Series Rating

Smuggling Operations

It is worth noting that a substantial amount of smuggling in contemporary times is conducted through legitimate commercial shipments. The smart and tech-savvy smugglers with deep pockets have started using the large cargo containers and the international postal system. In fact, the major Criminal Smuggling Organisations exploit the considerable volume, complexity, and rapid pace of global supply chains to move illicit goods and people without detection across borders.

Furthermore, these days, the Smugglers leverage technology for logistics, communication, and funding (for instance, cryptocurrencies and encrypted messaging) to coordinate their activities and escape from authorities like Customs and Border Security. These modern-day smugglers also analyse border control deficiencies and adapt their routes as necessary. So, with globalisation, a lot has changed. And, we expect that in the future seasons of this Hindi series, the stories will also delve into these new smuggling operations.

Conclusion

The season finale ending of the “Taskaree: The Smuggler’s Web” series suggests that maybe it was a limited show. Both the protagonist, Arjun Meena (Emraan Hashmi), and the antagonist, Bada Choudhary (Sharad Kelkar), got what they deserved. Almost all the stories of the different characters, good or bad, were neatly tied up in the end. It is intriguing to note that the main hero and main villain do not come face-to-face, even once in the series. Such is the power of new-age mobile phones, one just needs the villain to pick up, call up, chat and even threaten. That gets the job done.

Still, the sleek and polished production values in this series make it a good and entertaining option to pass the time.

Key Details

Trailer

[Bonus YouTube Video Clip: Taskaree: The Smugglers Web | Netflix India]

Spoiler Alert (#1): Episode Summary

Spoiler Alert (#2): Story Progression

Poster & Featured Image of Taskaree: The Smuggler’s Web | Pictures Credit: Netflix India.