'Tanaav' S02V02 review: Personal rivalries intensify in fast-paced show
What's the story
SonyLIV's Tanaav, the official adaptation of the celebrated Israeli series Fauda, first premiered in November 2022.
Season 2, volume 1 followed in September 2024, and volume 2 is out now.
Like its previous installments, these new episodes follow familiar, recognizable beats, and guns, crimes, and gore is galore across the six episodes.
Slightly predictable, but watchable and engaging nonetheless.
Background
Continues right after S02, Volume 01
Volume 2 picks up right from where the first part ended and follows militants Fareed Mir/Al Damishq (Gaurav Arora) and Junaid (Shashank Arora).
Fareed wants to establish ISIS in Kashmir and is being chased by Kabir Farooqui (Manav Vij), Malik (Rajat Kapoor), and their team.
The stakes are much higher because the agents' family members are also at risk.
Will Kabir finally emerge victorious?
#1
Cuts right to the chase
The appropriately titled Tanaav is certain about one thing—it has no time to waste.
Right from the 7th episode (episode 1 of volume 2), it jumps to fast-paced, slick action, and it feels like no time has passed between the first and the second volumes.
It's the kind of show that demands your unwavering attention because it's so richly layered with details.
#2
Analyzes characters more deftly this time
If the previous episodes only touched the militants' lives on a surface level, volume 2 tries to mend that.
We get more conversations between Fareed and his brother Fahad, and the psyche of young men blinded by religious and political fanaticism is probed more deeply.
This volume also touches upon how women end up becoming collateral damage in scheming games of power.
#3
Its stellar star cast shoulders the show well
Tanaav's triumph also lies in presenting strong, sturdy, mostly (if not always) realistic characters.
Kapoor is an absolute show-stealer and is magnetic as a man of authority, while Vij brings alive the ache of a deeply flawed man crushed between mounting personal and professional troubles.
Dr. Farah (Ekta Kaul), Dheeraj Saran (Rajesh Jais), and Haider Farooqui (Kabir Bedi) embellish the cast ensemble.
#4
Bedi and Kaul's scenes are a delight
The sequences between Dr. Farah and Kabir's father Haider may be only a handful, but they make for some of the most beautiful, heartfelt conversations of the entire series.
Bedi brings with him a sense of lofty gravitas that Tanaav needs, and his and Kaul's scenes stand out for their sense of calm and quiet— a foil to the series' overwhelming bloodshed.
#5
Has more meat for supporting characters this time
Tanaav Season 2, Volume 2 also expands upon some side/supporting characters we met in the previous episodes.
Director Sudhir Mishra finally puts them to good use, placing them in intense situations in such a way that they help propel the narrative.
Rivalries are much more intense and personal this time, and the characters race against time to delay the seemingly inevitable.
#6
Makes the characters more realistic
In shows like these, where the "good" side is pitted against the "bad" one, the officers/soldiers are almost always shown as impenetrable and invincible.
The key to allowing the audience to believe in your characters, then, is to humanize them and show that they're just as susceptible to harm.
Tanaav makes some brave (even surprising) decisions in this regard, making the show more believable.
#7
Negatives: It seems overlong at times
Unfortunately, Tanaav has a habit of stretching an idea tragically thin, and it revels in taking two episodes to say what can simply be said in one.
Eventually, you are left with the feeling that the episodes could have been a lot racier and sharper, and the episode length (35 to 40 minutes) doesn't always seem justified.
In that sense, you feel cheated.
#8
Also struggles with tonality
There are also times when it seems like some characters are introduced hurriedly, and when the show doesn't know what to do with them, they are either sidelined or killed.
Some dialogues are uncharacteristic/out of place; for example, Kabir, while referring to his partner Farah, asks his father, "Are you jealous of me?"
It also struggles to manage its tonal shifts.
#9
The suspense sequences are predictable
At numerous junctures, you cannot put your faith in some of the suspense/thriller sequences it builds because they ultimately fizzle out too soon.
The treatment of a few major characters is unnatural and seems absolutely anti-climactic as if not enough thought was put into their story arcs.
The show could have also gone a lot easier on the gore.
Verdict
Could have been better, but still riveting enough
If you're a fan of action-heavy projects about the breakneck world of intelligence agencies, Tanaav is tailor-made for you.
S02, V02 gets predictable, but for the most part, the shows stays on track.
Like the previous installments, it ends with the promise of another story, leaving the door open for another season.
It seems like this saga is far from over.
3/5 stars.