What Is the Story About?
SonyLIV’s latest series ‘Tanaav‘ is the official adaptation of blockbuster Israeli show ‘Fauda’. While Fauda is set in the backdrop of the Israel-Palestine conflict, Tanaav centres on the long ongoing strife in Kashmir. Former Indian agent Kabir Farooqui (Manav Vij) is leading the peaceful life of a retiree with his family, content in the knowledge that he and his spy team have eliminated dreaded terrorist Umar Riaz (Sumit Kaul) in a high-octane mission, several years ago. But when his team leader Vikrant Rathore (Arbaaz Khan) informs him that Umar Riaz, aka Panther, is alive, Kabir comes out of retirement, and the chase starts all over again.
‘Tanaav’ is co-written by Sudhir Mishra and Ishan Trivedi. It is co-directed by Sudhir Mishra and Sachin Mamta Krishn.
Performances?
The performances in Tanaav are the soul of the show. Manav Vij has landed the role of a lifetime, and he does full justice to it. His steely, penetrating gaze, perpetual scowl and dour demeanour befits the persona of Kabir Farooqui perfectly. Shashank Arora is excellent as the shrewd, calm and composed Junaid Alam, right hand man of Umar Riaz. Rajat Kapoor shines as Jagjit Malik, the enigmatic Indian intelligence head in charge of the Special Task Force. Sumit Kaul is superb as Umar Riaz.
Satyadeep Mishra is a sight for sore eyes as Uday. Ekta Kaul is handed a poorly etched character, but she does well as Dr Farah. Waluscha De Sousa‘s is good as Umar Riaz’s wife Zainab, as is Zarina Wahab as his mother. Sahiba Bali as Toshi, Arslan Goni as Kunal Mattoo, Amit Gaur as Muneer, all do a great job. The casting of Tanaav is terrific, and the real hero of the show.
Analysis
Tanaav is produced by Applause Entertainment, and as is the norm at the production company, it is yet another remake produced by them of a popular show. Though Tanaav is a frame by frame remake of Fauda, numerous tiny things make the show unique in its own way. Obviously, shifting the action to the center of the sticky Kashmir conundrum is the most significant change in the narrative.
The Kashmir setting allows the makers to deploy in their dialogue both languages widely spoken in the valley – Urdu and Dogri. The casting team has shrewdly picked a host of Kashmiri or Kashmir-origin actors to portray the primary roles in the series. The strategy lends natural authenticity and realism to the narrative, often times impossible to achieve in a diverse country like ours.
Despite being a faithful remake of one of the most popular Israeli shows in India, Tanaav manages to be gripping and watchable. The meandering story and humongous runtime — twelve 30-45 minute long episodes — irritate somewhat. But the searing pace of the storytelling makes one look past the inherent flaws in the making.
Most importantly, the massive cast gets full credit for keeping the viewer invested in the story, even if it’s a remake. For those who’ve not seen Fauda at all, Tanaav will prove to be a gripping watch, a show that the unaware viewer will enjoy watching.
That said, it is also eminently apparent that being a remake hampers the actors’ performances and limits their range kind of. The compulsion to deliver a scene as per a pre-decided template is cumbersome; and a hindrance to exploring the full scope of their characters and their own potential as actors. Several scenes, therefore, appear stilted and mechanical in tone and texture – one of the major drawbacks of engineering a remake.
Tanaav is still a better remake than the sub-par stuff being churned out by streamers in the name of OTT entertainment these days. Credit for that goes to stellar director Sudhir Mishra, and his skill as a master storyteller.
Music and Other Departments?
Karel Antonín’s background score for Tanaav is suitably edgy, haunting and suspenseful. The composer has drawn elements from Kashmiri folk music to imbue the score with authenticity. Sachin Mamta Krishn’s cinematography is beauteous. He’s used the scenic, pristine locales of Kashmir to rousing effect, enhancing the storytelling by notches. Archit Rastogi’s editing is flawless.
Highlights?
Performances
Casting
Technical aspects
Drawbacks?
Too long runtime
Stilted and Mechanical Narrative at Several Places
Did I Enjoy It?
Yes
Will You Recommend It?
Definitely for Those Who’ve Not Watched Fauda. Not Quite for Those Who’ve Watched Fauda.
Tanaav Web Series Review by Binged Bureau
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