Tanaav: A must-watch for a weekend full of emotional rides

Tanisha Saxena

Tanaav (meaning tension) is the Indian adaptation of the internationally acclaimed Israeli series Fauda, that has premiered today on Sony LIV. The espionage show chronicles the two-sided story of the Indian-Kashmir conflict. Kabir (played by Manav Vij), a commander of an undercover Special Task Force unit operating inside Kashmir territory, and his team are hunting down a terrorist named Umar Riaz (played by Sumit Kaul), who is rather called “Panther.”

On the other end of the fence, Panther and his family do not accept the sorry state of Kashmir and continue Jihad. Set against the backdrop of Kashmir in the year 2017, the story aims to portray reality, and not just any version of reality.

Each episode unfolds in a tense and taut way, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats. The show’s main focus remains commander Kabir of the special task force chasing the most wanted Panther and the devastation he causes. The show begins with the kidnapping of a Kashmiri professor to the special task force’s office. Further investigations revealed that terrorist Panther (whom everyone assumed was dead from an earlier encounter) was still active. The chase begins, and it starts with the wedding of Panther’s brother, Asif.

Things turn gruesome when Asif is shot dead by one of the officers of the forces, and the other side swears to avenge the killing. As the story moves along, we see more people dying and their loved ones suffering. On the one hand, Kabir’s wife, Nusrat (played by Sukhmani Sadana), feels suffocated in wedlock after years and thus finds solace in an affair with Muneer Jeelani (played by Amit Gaur).

And the protagonist Kabir falls in love with a Kashmiri doctor Farah Durrani (played by Ekta Kaul). On the other hand, Zainab Riaz (played by Waluscha Sousa), wife of Panther, feels uncomfortable with the regular violence, for the safety of her children, she decides to accept the opportunity offered by the officer, Shabbir Malik (R Kapoor) to the UAE and secure a safe and stable future of her kids.

The fact that Panther is rumoured to be planning a 9/11-style attack makes it imperative for the special forces to hunt him down. There’s action and adventure packed up with nail-biting storytelling. Each episode ends with a cliffhanger that will urge you to see the next. Worth noting is the socio-political issues highlighted without being highly sensitive.

For instance, the issue of the lack of jobs in Kashmir, the differing opinions of fellow people on the subject of Kashmir, the insecurities of the locals, and so on. The characters like Junaid (played by Shashank Arora), who is a jobless young chap eager to “liberate” his state and is also Panther’s right hand, and Dr Farah Durrani (played by Ekta Kaul), who takes a different stand against the backdrop of Kashmir’s socio-political tension.

The show also features Arbaaz Khan, Zarina Wahab, Ekta Kaul, Danish Hussain, Satyadeep Mishra, Sahiba Bali, Arslan Goni, Rockey Raina, MK Raina, Sheen Dass, and Aryaman Seth, among others.

Helmed by Sameer Nair under the banner of Applause Entertainment Pvt. Ltd., the show gives an individual a space to think about the very nature of the conflict. With each episode, each dead body on the ground, and each broken heart, the characters become more vulnerable, and it is precise to this point that the audience will relate the most.

It is very interesting to see how seamlessly the universality of human emotions has been woven into the series. The show does not limit itself to histrionics and melodrama but introduces us to the complexity of emotions through flawed characters. An adaptation work, or any piece of cinema for that matter, does wonders when the audience feels sad with the characters, hurt with them, loves them, and mostly relates to them. Aside from the raw and picturesque Kashmiri landscape, the show is peppered with an intense background score as each episode unfolds.

Overall, Tanaav is a show that you can binge-watch. In its entirety, the espionage show has big stakes and high drama that promise to take you on an adventurous ride for the purging of universal emotions.

Verdict: Riveting storytelling, a cliffhanger approach, and an outstanding ensemble. Applause!