Taskaree: The Smuggler’s Web is a 2026 Hindi crime thriller set around customs operations at Mumbai’s international airport. The series follows an elite team of officers trying to stop organised smuggling while dealing with corruption, informers and a criminal network that operates across borders.
Emraan Hashmi leads the series as Customs Superintendent Arjun Meena, while Sharad Kelkar plays Bada Choudhary, the head of the syndicate the officers are trying to dismantle. Created by Neeraj Pandey, the first season has seven episodes and premiered on Netflix on January 14, 2026.
Taskaree Web Series Cast
Emraan Hashmi as Arjun Meena
Emraan Hashmi plays Arjun Meena, a Customs Superintendent with a reputation for being difficult to control but effective in the field. After a suspension, he is brought back when the department needs someone capable of taking on a growing smuggling network. Arjun builds a small team and relies on surveillance, informers and calculated risks to get closer to Bada Choudhary.
Sharad Kelkar as Bada Choudhary
Sharad Kelkar plays Rajeev Choudhary, better known as Bada Choudhary, the powerful smuggler at the centre of the investigation. His network moves gold and other contraband through multiple routes and uses intimidation, money and contacts to stay ahead of enforcement agencies. He is the principal adversary of Arjun and his team.
Anurag Sinha as Prakash Kumar
Anurag Sinha plays Prakash Kumar, a senior customs officer who brings Arjun back into active duty. Prakash gives the team its larger mission and becomes closely involved as the operation expands beyond individual airport seizures into an organised crackdown on the syndicate.
Zoya Afroz as Priya Khubchandani
Zoya Afroz plays Priya Khubchandani, a flight attendant who is caught carrying smuggled gold. Instead of remaining only a suspect, Priya becomes an important part of the investigation when Arjun uses her position and access to gather information from inside the smuggling chain.
Nandish Singh Sandhu as Ravinder Gujjar
Nandish Singh Sandhu plays Ravinder Gujjar, one of the customs officers selected for Arjun’s special team. Ravinder is capable but impulsive, and his willingness to take risks sometimes creates problems for the operation as the syndicate starts striking back.
Amruta Khanvilkar as Mitali Kamath
Amruta Khanvilkar plays Mitali Kamath, another officer brought into Arjun’s team. She works on surveillance and field operations and becomes part of the unit attempting to identify couriers, money routes and the people protecting the smuggling network.
Jameel Khan as Suresh Kaka
Jameel Khan plays Suresh Kaka, a recurring figure in the world surrounding the customs investigation. His role connects the officers with information and people outside the formal system.
Freddy Daruwala as Rahul
Freddy Daruwala plays Rahul, a smuggler linked to the wider criminal network. His movements and connections become important as the customs team tries to understand how individual couriers fit into Bada Choudhary’s larger operation.
Other notable cast members include:
- Sumit Nijhawan as Anna
- Anuja Sathe as Meenakshi
- Veerendra Saxena as Shrikant Saxena
- Ekavali Khanna as Mrs. Sayyed
- Rajat Bhasin as Customs Officer Sajjad Sheikh
- Mohit Dagga as Customs Officer K. P. Awasthi
- Raghavendra Tiwary as Customs Officer Vincent Roy
Taskaree Web Series Crew
Taskaree: The Smuggler’s Web was created by Neeraj Pandey, who also shares writing and directing credits. Vipul K. Rawal is credited as a writer, while Raghav Jairath and B. A. Fida are among the directors. The series was produced by Shital Bhatia under the Friday Storytellers banner.
- Creator: Neeraj Pandey
- Directors: Neeraj Pandey, Raghav Jairath and B. A. Fida
- Writers: Neeraj Pandey and Vipul K. Rawal
- Producer: Shital Bhatia
- Production Company: Friday Storytellers
- Cinematography: Sudheer Palsane, Arvind Singh and Parth Navle
- Editor: Praveen Kathikuloth
- Casting Director: Vicky Sidana
- Production Designer: Sandeep Sharad Ravade
- Costume Designer: Falguni Thakore
- Background Score: Advait Nemlekar
Taskaree Web Series Story
The story begins when the customs department comes under pressure to control rising smuggling at Mumbai airport. Prakash Kumar brings Arjun Meena back from suspension and asks him to form a team capable of going after the network rather than merely catching individual couriers.
Arjun selects Mitali Kamath and Ravinder Gujjar for the operation. Their target is Bada Choudhary, whose syndicate has built a sophisticated system for moving contraband while staying protected through fear, money and multiple layers of intermediaries.
The investigation changes when flight attendant Priya Khubchandani is caught carrying gold. Arjun turns the arrest into an opportunity and uses Priya to gain access to people inside the network. A customs conference and a large sting operation then give the team a chance to intercept several smugglers at once.
Bada Choudhary soon realises that the pressure is not routine enforcement. The syndicate responds with intimidation and violence, placing the customs officers and their informers in greater danger. Ravinder’s impulsive decisions also complicate the mission from inside the team.
By the final episodes, the officers are no longer chasing isolated consignments. They are trying to understand the structure behind the operation and stop one last major movement of gold. The season builds towards a direct contest between Arjun’s team and Bada Choudhary’s organisation, with both sides trying to anticipate the other’s next move.
How Many Episodes Are There in Taskaree?
Taskaree: The Smuggler’s Web has one season with seven episodes. All seven episodes were released on January 14, 2026. Episode lengths range from about 38 to 58 minutes.
- Episode 1: Customs vs Popat
- Episode 2: Bada Choudhary
- Episode 3: The Priya Story
- Episode 4: Operation Longshot
- Episode 5: Hum Coin Hain
- Episode 6: Darr Ka Dhandha
- Episode 7: Kahani Khatam
Taskaree OTT Platform and Release Date
Taskaree: The Smuggler’s Web premiered on Netflix on January 14, 2026. The complete seven-episode first season was released together.
As of September 2026, the series remains available on Netflix in India. The platform lists Hindi as the original language and also offers English, Tamil and Telugu audio options. Streaming availability can change over time, so viewers should check the current catalogue before subscribing specifically for the series.
What Kind of Series Is Taskaree?
Taskaree is a crime thriller focused on customs enforcement rather than conventional police investigation. Airports, passenger screening, informers, undercover work and international smuggling routes provide the background for the central conflict.
The series keeps Arjun Meena and Bada Choudhary on opposite sides of the same larger system: one trying to trace and break the network, the other trying to keep it invisible. The seven-episode format allows the story to move from small seizures to a broader syndicate without losing its procedural focus.