'Taskaree: The Smuggler’s Web' review: Green light for silly but fun series on smuggling

Netflix’s 'Taskaree: The Smuggler’s Web' calls to mind a Bollywood of a certain vintage, when watching a film was a pleasurable experience, the admittedly convoluted plot somehow held together, and everyone on screen (and in the audience) happily suspended disbelief for the sheer fun of it.

It also marks a refreshing detour. Here, the much-ignored and frequently vilified customs officers are the heroes. They hustle through airport corridors, sniffing out exotic monkeys sedated and hidden in coat pockets, heroin capsules lodged in distended stomachs, and designer suitcases fitted with gold-plated wheels. It’s busy, absurd, and oddly delightful.

The plot itself is fairly simple. A squad of unsung, “hungry and honest” officers, led by Superintendent Arjun Meena (Emraan Hashmi), sets out to outwit a global smuggling syndicate run by Bada Chaudhary (Sharad Kelkar). Chaudhary, meanwhile, is sitting pretty, playing murderous golf (you’ll know what we mean) and enjoying a blissful family life with his wife and son at a sprawling estate on the banks of Lake Como, no less.

Although the story hops from Milan to Bangkok to Al-Dera, the real drama unfolds not in these glossy cities but at the Green, sorry, Red Channel.

There is considerable attention to detail, and initially it’s fascinating to watch the inventive methods couriers use to beat the system. By the fifth episode, however, the repetition sets in, dulling the pace and making the series less racy than it could have been. The performances are earnest, and the makers’ sincerity shines through. Taskaree is far from faultless — it has its loopholes, and that finale is undeniably silly and overcooked. And yet, somehow, it remains watchable.