‘Taskaree: The Smuggler's Web’ (2026) Netflix Series Review - The Curious Case of Neeraj Pandey

I would like to believe that Neeraj Pandey is trying to grow as an artist, that he is indulging in cinematic experiments to push himself creatively. Yet, the kind of misfires his films and shows turn out to be only make you—or is it just me?—the butt of a cruel joke for having faith in him. I think Pandey has been going downhill since he made that biopic of a cricketer who rises above obstacles to achieve professional success. I am, of course, talking about M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story. In fact, I don't think Pandey has made anything worth seeing since A Wednesday, his debut film. That 2008 crime drama, in hindsight and with every new Pandey project, increasingly feels like a fluke. After M.S. Dhoni, Pandey seems to have lost his voice entirely. Nothing since has really worked for him.

Taskaree: The Smuggler's Web is another maddeningly frustrating Neeraj Pandey series. It feels like Sikandar Ka Muqaddar crossed with Money Heist—the "Bella Ciao" song even appears during an action sequence. If Money Heist followed robbers who generated twist after twist while evading the law, Taskaree follows an Indian Customs Service team that generates twist after twist while tackling a crime syndicate. Why did Money Heist connect with such a wide audience? Because it embraced excess: its characters were gloriously over-the-top, and it tightened the noose around our necks only to loosen it with the Professor's backup plans (a trick that did grow repetitive in later seasons). Why does Taskaree feel ridiculous and distant? Because it refuses to commit to being cheesy fun. Pandey wants to entertain us with occasionally improbable, occasionally tongue-in-cheek situations, but he also coats them in a thick layer of seriousness, courage, and patriotism to honor real Customs officers.

There is a part of Pandey that clearly wants to experiment with form. In Taskaree, for instance, a flashback is depicted in a live-action graphic-novel style. In Sikandar Ka Muqaddar, a text card during the climax informs us that the film hasn't ended yet. These attempts, however, are paired with Pandey's awkward sense of humor. His comic timing is terrible. At times, it's genuinely unclear whether what we're watching is meant to be funny. I remember feeling embarrassed during a scene in Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha where a goon slips in the rain while running toward Krishna in prison. Similarly, in Taskaree, when a girl leaves a boy for being "too honest," one doesn't know whether to laugh or mock the lazy writing. There's also a woman who goes from being Bianca to Binita and then disappears entirely. Is this supposed to be funny, especially when it appears in the middle of a serious exposition?

Taskaree is, I think, a mind-fuck experience—and I wish that were a compliment. The mind is fucked because it can't distinguish between what's meant to be sober and what's supposed to be humorous. Prakash Kumar (Anurag Sinha) gets his hero introduction by casually catching a smuggler. I was more interested in knowing how he instantly deduced that the man was smuggling gold in his laptop. Pandey offers no explanation. As far as he's concerned, these officers are superheroes: they have X-ray vision, supernatural instincts, and an almost animalistic ability to sense wrongdoing. Honesty, Pandey suggests, isn't just a virtue—it's a superpower. A rare quality found only in rare species like Arjun Meena (Emraan Hashmi), Ravinder Gujjar (Nandish Sandhu), and Mitali Kamath (Amruta Khanvilkar). Ravinder is even mocked by his family for being sincere and, at one point, voices his disgust at a society that celebrates corruption.

Pandey clearly believes he's making an important statement. He even puts this line in the villain's mouth: "Wake up—India is already destroyed from within." But Pandey is both simple-minded and overly optimistic. If this is a political stance, it feels toothless and ineffective. He's also oddly averse to sexuality. Women are occasionally framed as sensual figures, but nothing ever progresses to even a kiss, let alone sex, once unthinkable for something starring Emraan Hashmi. Even these fleeting sensual moments feel curiously impotent. Pandey injects no emotion into his airbrushed scenes, which is why the execution of Operation Longshot carries no suspense. You watch calmly, knowing the good guys will win in the end.

To mask the story's incompetence, Pandey resorts to a non-linear structure. The flaws of this approach become painfully evident during a "gunshot" and an "acid attack" scene. Pandey's biggest weakness is that he doesn't know what he wants Taskaree to be: a tale of friendship, a celebration of honesty, a love story, a Money Heist-style thriller, a tribute to Indian airport security, a fond postcard to Mumbai airport, or a thank-you note to the Indian Customs Service. He tries to check every box and ends up doing justice to none of them. Still, after so many disappointments, I hope Pandey finds the right project for himself—I hope he finds his voice. Perhaps, like that dedicated cricketer in his 2016 biopic, this director will one day rise and win professionally.

Final Score- [3.5/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times