What Is The Story About?
Netflix’s new Indian Original series ‘CAT‘ centres on a rustic Sikh man Gurnaam Singh (Randeep Hooda), who once worked as a police informant. Years later, he is forced by circumstances to become a mole of Punjab’s Sialgad police force and infiltrate the gang of the region’s drug kingpin, Chief Minister Madam Aulakh (Geeta Agrawal). As Gurnaam Singh rises up the ranks in the drug trade, he is compelled to wonder if there is more to his handler, the seemingly upright police officer Sehtab Singh (Suvinder Vicky), than he lets on?
CAT is created, written and directed by Balwinder Singh Janjua, and co-directed by Rupinder Chahal, Jimmy Singh and Anil Rodhan.
Performances?
Randeep Hooda is excellent as Gurnaam Singh, proving yet again how his towering talent is grossly underused in Bollywood. The man is fiercely intense and persuasive in his maiden web series. Suvinder Vicky matches Hooda in persuasiveness, note for note, scene for scene, frame for frame. He oozes menace without trying too hard – he effortlessly switches between the many facets of his personality in ‘CAT’. It is a fitting followup to his stellar outing in the 2021 gem ‘Milestone’.
Geeta Agarwal is very good as Chief Minister Madam Aulakh. Pramod Pathak is delightful to watch as Inspector Chandan. Abhishant Rana, who plays the young Gurnaam ‘Gary’ Singh is quietly efficient. Dakssh Ajit Singh as Laadi, and Jaipreet Singh as Shamsher are equally good. The rest of the cast is adequate.
Analysis?
CAT is a finely-written and directed piece of work from Balwinder Singh Janjua, known for writing Saand Ki Aankh. Telling a rooted story set in the earthy, rustic Punjab environs, propped by a predominantly Punjabi cast, works majorly to its advantage. A crime drama replete with blood and gore, set in the midst of Punjab’s verdant greenery, vibrant mustard fields, innocuous old village-style homes, certainly hits differently – even more than last year’s similarly styled SonyLIV show, ‘Tabbar’.
CAT’s playing field is the deep-rooted drug menace in Punjab, an oft-told story in any film or series set in Punjab. CAT goes a step further and lays bare the connection between Punjab’s debilitating drug problem and our neighbors across the border. It casts a spotlight on the well-entrenched corruption amongst the lawmakers, the unholy police-politician-gangster nexus, the well-oiled machinery of the drug trade, and more.
Through the nifty deployment of flashbacks, the writers establish the making of a vile manipulator, the genesis of a drug kingpin, the birth of CAT Gurnaam Singh. CAT is the codeword for a police mole who stealthily infiltrates criminal gangs at the instance of the police, and passes along crucial information to them. In that sense, the first few episodes of CAT remind one of Tom Hiddleston’s ‘The Night Manager’.
From there, CAT moves into Donny Brasco and Tabbar territory. The defining and differentiating factor in CAT, however, is the deceit and subterfuge unleashed by a crucial character in the narrative. Along the way, CAT also skims the surface of Dalit discrimination, deep-seated patriarchy, the toxic masculinity of Indian males, and more.
The fast-paced plot never lets up at any moment in the storytelling, despite the sheer length of the series. Surprise twists and reveals add to the thrill of the show. A few subplots could have been done away with – the one involving Aulakh’s daughter Kimi’s pursue of the singer Rocky, for instance. It does nothing for the story at large, except stretching an already lengthy narrative. Also, the subplot involving Gurnaam’s brother is too flimsy to warrant his stepping into the dangerous world of Punjab’s drug traffickers. Lastly, the story is a predictable, done-to-death one – the only thing that makes it worth a watch is the gritty filmmaking.
Minor flaws aside, ‘CAT’ is a well-made, well-told series, despite moving along predictable lines. A dishy, earnest, excellent Randeep Hooda makes it more worthwhile. The series ends on a mouth-watering note, hinting at a definite turning of tables, and exciting times ahead in the story – if it gets renewed for Season 2, that is.
Music And Other Departments?
Joel Crasto’s background music is suitably chilling, haunting, melancholy, rising and falling in tempo, in keeping with the demands of the story. Arvind Krishna’s cinematography is superb. His finely-composed shots, carefully-chosen colour pallette and camera angles enhance the storytelling.
Highlights?
Performances
Casting
Gritty style of filmmaking
Drawbacks?
Too long and stretched
Predictable storyline
A few flimsy subplots
Did I like it?
Yes
Do I recommend it?
Yes
CAT Web Series Review by Binged Bureau
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