ACTOR Emraan Hashmi says it was interesting for him to take a deep dive into the world of smuggling and customs in his upcoming series Taskaree: The Smuggler’s Web. Created by Neeraj Pandey and directed by Raghav Jairath, the show revolves around a dedicated customs officer, played by Hashmi, and his team take on a notorious smuggler, Sharad Kelkar, leading a powerful syndicate, but unexpected obstacles threaten their mission. “I don't know why but this is one law enforcement body on which no film or show has been made.

 

We've made films on police officers, army, BSF and I've pretty much played everything but this (custom officers) was fantastic. "I felt this was a new world when I read the script, like how smugglers get things in, and also how, when a customs officer sees someone, it is not about just seeing someone suspicious in green or red channels because they do a lot of research. It is a welloiled system, and knowing the intricacies of that was fabulous,” the actor said at the trailer launch of Taskaree recently. Working with Pandey, best known for thrillers such as A Wednesday, Special 26 and Baby, turned out to be a great experience, Hashmi said.

 

“The way the show has been written, there are a lot of surprises. It's a thriller show and Neeraj is the master of the thrillers, his name is up there on the list. It has become difficult to surprise the audience because they are always ahead of the curve, they know that there's a twist coming or a cliffhanger moment. I'm a fan of thriller (genre) so when I got the episodes to read it, a lot of things took me by surprise and there are wonderful cliffhanger moments in the show.” Hashmi lauded the makers for doing thorough research on the customs department and how smuggling happens, and this only helped him understand the show and his character.

 

“I've travelled a lot and so things do get stored in your subconscious mind as you often see custom officials at the airport. In this profession (customs) it is about reading people. But after signing the show, I met a lot of people (from the customs department),” he said. “But the script, however, had a lot of information, and whatever queries I had I would ask the team, which consisted of Neeraj sir, Raghav and others, and they had all the answers. They have been working on it for t w o - a n d - t w o - h a l f years,” he added.

 

On a lighter note, the actor said that in the early 2000s he was often “whisked” away by customs officials, who suspected him of having smuggled something. “I've got called out at immigration very early on, maybe because of the earrings or something else, but now when they see me with my sweet family, they don't suspect me," he said. Actors Amruta Khanvilkar, Nandish Singh Sandhu, Anurag Sinha, and Zoya Afroz round out the cast of the show. Taskaree: The Smuggler’s Web is set to debut on Netflix on January 14.