Abhiroop Das
Co-created by Neeraj Pandey and Vipul K. Rawal, Netflix’s ‘Taskaree: The Smuggler’s Web‘ also known as ‘Smuggling: The Smuggler’s Web,’ chronicles the highs and lows of Arjun Meena’s journey as a customs officer at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, in Mumbai. In the face of an ever-expanding smuggling empire, which both fuels and is fueled by a network of corrupt officers, Arjun, along with his best friends Gujjar and Mitali, comprises a specialized task force that aims to root out smuggling from the airport. They are supported in this initiative by Officer Prakash Kumar, but despite a series of victories against the criminal gang known as the Chaudhary Syndicate, an end to their challenges seems nowhere in sight. By the end of this Hindi drama series, Arjun realizes that the only way to beat Bada Chaudhary is to play a hand that no one will see coming, even if it means risking it all in the process. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Taskaree Season 1 Plot Recap
Season 1 of ‘Taskaree’ begins with the government demanding a complete crackdown on the smuggling networks that bring billions worth of illegal goods into India. However, with a dwindling customs budget, the task falls on a small pool of honest and competent officers, which includes Prakash Kumar. Freshly posted at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, he quickly gets the existing, corrupt bunch of customs officers fired, and instead rescinds the suspension of three officers, Arjun Meena, Ravinder Gujjar, and Mitali Kamath. The trio then goes on to recruit more officers with the same value system, and together, they create a near indestructible team, with the sole aim of bringing down the smuggling ring known as the Chaudhary Syndicate.
The new team’s work is an instant success, and the mounting losses begin to visibly affect the syndicate’s stronghold over the airport. While Prakash is new to Mumbai, Arjun has been planning to take down Chaudhary and his gang for quite some time now. His plan involves a former air hostess named Priya Khubchandani, whom he saved from a smuggling scandal, only to then recruit her as a covert operative at the syndicate’s Al-Dera headquarters. After months of gaining their trust with inventive smuggling ways, she convinces the group to unload the bulk of their shipment on a single day, when Arjun and team are seemingly not on duty. This, however, turns out to be an intentional lie, and within a single day, millions worth of goods are seized, with Priya narrowly making her escape from Al-Dera.
While a huge chunk of Bada Chaudhary’s shipment is now gone, he still hesitates to use all-out violence against the customs officers and instead relies on open threats, which almost prove effective. However, Gujjar refuses to back down and stops yet another major smuggling operation. In response, Chaudhary has Gujjar gunned down, and begins targeting Arjun and Priya next. Seemingly at his wits’ end, Arjun finds a helping hand in the form of Saxena, a former officer who served as Gujjar’s informant, in turn relaying information from a man named Suresh Kaka. Together, they learn that the syndicate plans to smuggle 2 tons of gold in a single day. We soon come to know that Prakash is working for Bada Chaudhary. Thus, Arjun has to race against time and make the best use of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, even if it means risking his job and the lives of his loved ones.
Taskaree Season 1 Ending: Is Bada Chaudhary Arrested? Does His Syndicate go Down?
‘Taskaree’ season 1 ends with Arjun, Priya, and team defeating Bada Chaudhary for good, simultaneously stopping his 2-ton gold shipment and catching him red-handed in Al-Dera. Faced with that two-pronged loss, the syndicate goes up in flames almost instantly, with Bada Chaudhary’s various smuggling hideouts across the globe being raided and shut down. All of this is made possible by Arjun’s elaborate plan, wherein he risks it all by sending Priya back into the lion’s den in Al-Dera. As she convinces Baba Chaudhary that she is simply looking for immunity in return for information, Arjun leads the charge against the coffin shipments, which are presumed to contain gold. Unbeknownst to them, Bada Chaudhary is thinking one step ahead and has already swapped his gold from the coffins to a diplomatic cargo plane.
What makes things infinitely worse for Arjun is that his opponent on the home turf is none other than Prakash, who already knows where the actual gold shipment is, and lets it go through without any screening procedures. However, Arjun finds help in the unlikeliest of ways, as he visualizes how Gujjar would have cracked this mystery. Knowing that Suresh Kaka has been compromised, it doesn’t make sense for the syndicate to continue their plan as is, and this is all the hint Arjun needs. Notably, Gujjar’s appearance as almost a spirit of sorts mirrors his first scene this season, where he helps a fellow customs officer figure out how to do their job best. This small exchange with Arjun, as such, brings this arc full circle and serves as a nice send-off to Gujjar as a character.
Meanwhile, Chaudhary fails to grasp that the real reason Priya is in Al-Dera is to stall the syndicate, as Arjun’s friends at COIN are already on their way to intercept the smuggling leader. Given that Chaudhary has always maintained his distance and operated the business from Italy, he has largely been invulnerable this entire time. However, his decision to come to Al-Dera and personally supervise the deal proves to be hasty, as he is soon located and surrounded by the police. In a way, this scene maps out Priya’s growth over the course of the season, as while the first time she was rescued by Arjun’s team, this time she is equally the orchestrator of the entire plan. With all his money gone, his network disbanded, and his crew arrested, Bada Chaudhary is left with no place to hide and is arrested at last.
What Happens to Suresh Kaka?
Bada Chaudhary’s arrest also means that Suresh Kaka is saved in the nick of time, as COIN agents pick him up and likely take him to a secure place, far away from the syndicate’s reach. This is in no small part due to Priya’s timely interjection, as she manages to interject in Suresh’s torture long enough for help to arrive. Ironically, this flips their entire dynamic on its head, as originally it was Suresh who nearly blew up her cover when she was on a covert operation. This time, with no secrets left, they are both allies and work together for the common goal of defeating the syndicate. Given that Suresh’s injuries are nowhere near life-threatening, it is almost certain that he comes out of the showdown alive and is likely back in India already.
While Suresh is technically an informant working for Saxena and indirectly helping the customs officers, whether or not he has any actual immunity is up for debate. Notably, Saxena is no longer an actual employee, as he was fired and arrested over a false corruption case. As such, this entire time Suresh has been feeding him information purely out of respect and committment, and not because of any monetary benefits. On the other hand, this also means that he is not technically recognized as an informant for the government and might be treated as a criminal instead. Suresh has also been working closely with the syndicate for over a decade and has potentially made millions doing illegal trades. To that end, he will likely have to plead his innocence in order to be seen as a customs asset.
Is Prakash Caught? When and Why Did He Become Corrupt?
The biggest surprise in the entire first season is Prakash’s turn to the dark, especially as he has been positioned as the emblem of honesty this whole time. A flashback in the season finale reveals that he made an off-screen deal with Bada Chaudhary when they met in Bangkok. Although we were initially shown his complete rejection of the syndicate’s offers, that visual is confirmed to be a lie. In reality, all of Prakash’s high-profile operations were an effort to prove his ability not to the government, but to Bada Chaudhary, following which he could strong-arm any deal he wanted. Looking back, this development makes sense, as the syndicate has explicitly been Prakash’s target from the start. As such, it is only his motivations for the pursuit that are flipped upside down in the final twist.
The reveal that Prakash is a corrupt officer highlights one of the running themes in the show, about how honesty in the present environment is an increasingly rare trait. Although Prakash is introduced as one of the few good officers left, power and greed ultimately get to his head. We see glimpses of this evil in his introductory segment as well, as he hardly thinks twice before incriminating an entire team of customs officers, both honest and dishonest ones, solely to further his own interests. His critical error, however, is in raising a team that is truly incorruptible, and more importantly, independent of his value system. When the time comes, it is Arjun who is proven to be the truly honest character, which adds several layers to his dynamic with his senior officer.
Just when Prakash believes that the gold shipment is good to go, Arjun storms into the facility and demands a re-check. Here, Prakash makes yet another error, claiming that diplomatic cargo should go unchecked. This obviously out-of-character statement from him is what gives his farce away, and only strengthens Arjun’s resolve instead. As expected, the cargo turns out to be full of gold plates, and with that, the 2 tons of gold are seized. Given that Prakash is not shown in the final sequence, it is possible that he got arrested for his collusion with the syndicate. However, there is no actual proof tying him to Bada Chaudhary, which raises the possibility that he is still safe from the police and is now on track to fight an internal battle with Arjun and company.
What is Next For Arjun and His Team?
As the first season of ‘Taskaree’ ends with Arjun, Mitali, and the entire team emerging victorious, it is likely that they will get promoted to more important positions, possibly guiding teams outside of Mumbai. However, Priya’s fate is slightly more ambiguous, as she has an equal chance of continuing her job as a covert operative or becoming an actual customs officer. A middle path, however, is for her to join COIN as an agent, as she has already proven her ability to them firsthand. On a personal level, Arjun might finally ask her out after months of merely hinting at the romantic feelings he has for her. With Priya reciprocating these emotions, it is possible that their relationship is on the cusp of blooming.
A major plot thread that is introduced towards the end of the season is Saxena’s secret involvement in customs intelligence. Given that his input was the key to bringing down Bada Chaudhary, Arjun and company might rally for a reevaluation of the false corruption charges against him. Saxena’s return to the customs office can be the great boon they have been waiting for this entire time, and it also makes sense on a thematic level, as he was Gujjar’s mentor and informant. Mitali’s arc also has bright potential going forward, as she has already flexed her ability to turn an army of rookies into seasoned professionals.
With all the new developments in mind, Mitali and Arjun’s job is only about to get more, and not less difficult, as their greatest enemy going forward might just be Prakash himself. There is also the looming threat from other smuggling rings, who are likely looking forward to filling in the space left behind by Bada Chaudhary. As joked about frequently in the show, smugglers might never run out of ideas, and that means Arjun’s only shot at victory is by thinking one step ahead.
Read More: Is Taskaree a True Story? Is the Chaudhary Syndicate Based on a Real Smuggling Ring?
