Emraan Hashmi’s crime thriller series Taskaree: The Smuggler’s Web continues to attract attention on Netflix months after its release. The seven-episode series, which premiered on January 14, 2026, has remained a popular title among viewers and has continued to appear in Netflix’s trending conversation even as newer shows arrive on the platform.
Created by Neeraj Pandey, Taskaree takes viewers into the rarely explored world of airport customs and international smuggling. Emraan Hashmi plays Customs Superintendent Arjun Meena, a sharp and composed officer who leads a team attempting to dismantle a powerful smuggling network. Netflix officially describes the series as a thriller about a dedicated customs officer and his team taking on a notorious smuggler and his syndicate.
The series has seven episodes, with individual episodes running for roughly 40 to 58 minutes. The complete season is available to stream on Netflix, making it a relatively easy binge for viewers who enjoy crime investigations, police and customs operations, and organised-crime stories.
Taskaree is set largely around Mumbai airport and revolves around the operations of customs officials trying to stop sophisticated smuggling activities. The story follows Arjun Meena and his team as they investigate a powerful syndicate while dealing with pressure, internal challenges and dangerous criminals.
One of the biggest attractions of the series is its unusual setting. While Indian OTT platforms have produced numerous police and intelligence thrillers, the world of customs officers and airport smuggling has received comparatively less attention. Netflix has described the series as an exploration of the unseen world of Indian customs, where officers deal with everything from hidden contraband to organised international networks.
Emraan Hashmi plays the central character with a restrained performance rather than relying on the larger-than-life action style often associated with crime dramas. His Arjun Meena is portrayed as calm, observant and methodical, with his intelligence and ability to anticipate the moves of criminals forming an important part of the character.
The actor has also spoken about the role as a different experience for him. Playing a customs officer allowed Hashmi to move into a character who relies more on observation and strategy than conventional heroics.
Sharad Kelkar is another important part of the series, while Zoya Afroz, Nandish Singh Sandhu, Anurag Sinha, Amruta Khanvilkar and Jameel Khan also feature in the ensemble cast. Their characters contribute to the customs operation and the wider smuggling storyline.
The series was created by Neeraj Pandey, a filmmaker known for crime, espionage and investigative dramas. Taskaree also marks his collaboration with Emraan Hashmi, bringing together the filmmaker’s procedural storytelling style and the actor’s understated screen presence.
The story begins with pressure mounting on customs authorities to control smuggling through Mumbai airport. Arjun Meena is brought back into action and becomes part of an operation targeting the Bada Choudhary syndicate.
As the investigation progresses, the customs team faces increasingly difficult challenges. The smugglers are organised, well connected and capable of adapting their methods, forcing the officers to think several steps ahead.
The seven episodes gradually expand the story beyond individual smuggling incidents and introduce a larger network involving multiple locations and characters. The series uses airport operations, undercover work, surveillance and investigations to maintain the central tension.
Netflix’s episode descriptions show how the investigation develops across the season, from the formation of Arjun’s team to undercover operations, large-scale attempts to intercept smugglers and the syndicate’s retaliation against customs officers.
The show has received a mixed but generally positive response from viewers and critics. Some reviews have praised the performances and procedural details, while others have pointed to predictable twists and uneven pacing.
The Times of India described the show as a solid and bingeable crime drama, highlighting its performances, procedural detail and sustained tension while noting that it follows some familiar genre patterns.
NDTV, however, gave the series 2.5 out of 5 stars. Its review praised Emraan Hashmi’s performance and the character of Arjun Meena but argued that some of the show’s plot developments weakened its overall impact.
Moneycontrol similarly praised the performances and brisk storytelling while suggesting that the show’s glossy presentation sometimes prevented the story from feeling as grounded and raw as it could have been.
The audience interest in Taskaree has nevertheless remained significant. The series reportedly spent months appearing among Netflix’s popular titles, an unusual achievement in a streaming environment where new films and series can quickly replace older releases.
According to the Jagran report, Taskaree had remained in Netflix’s Top 10 conversation for around eight months. The report also notes that the series had previously occupied the number-one position for an extended period before eventually moving lower on the list.
The show’s IMDb rating is reported at 7.1, another indication that it has developed a reasonably strong audience response despite the mixed professional reviews.
One reason for its continued appeal could be the combination of a familiar crime-thriller structure with a less familiar professional environment. Instead of focusing entirely on police officers or intelligence agencies, Taskaree puts customs officers at the centre of the story.
That gives the series an opportunity to explore a part of airport operations that most passengers rarely see. The tension comes not only from criminal confrontations but also from the challenge of identifying suspicious activity, tracking smuggling networks and understanding how organised groups operate across borders.
The international element also adds scale to the story. Netflix said the series was filmed across four countries and multiple international airports, allowing the production to create a broader picture of the smuggling network.
At the same time, Taskaree does not completely escape the conventions of the Indian crime-thriller genre. Some twists can be anticipated, and the procedural portions may feel slower for viewers who prefer nonstop action.
That makes the series more suitable for audiences who enjoy investigation-driven thrillers rather than purely action-focused shows.
For Emraan Hashmi fans, however, Taskaree offers something different from many of the actor’s earlier roles. His performance is built around discipline, intelligence and restraint, allowing the character to remain convincing without constantly depending on dramatic action sequences.
The seven-episode format also helps the show maintain a relatively focused narrative. Instead of stretching the central investigation across a very large number of episodes, the season moves through its main stages while gradually increasing the pressure on the customs team.
Ultimately, Taskaree: The Smuggler’s Web may not be considered one of the most groundbreaking crime series on Indian OTT platforms, but its continued popularity demonstrates that audiences remain interested in well-made investigative thrillers with fresh settings.
The combination of Emraan Hashmi, Neeraj Pandey’s crime-thriller sensibilities, a customs-focused storyline and a seven-episode binge-friendly format has helped the series maintain visibility long after its January 2026 release.
For viewers looking for a Hindi crime thriller on Netflix, Taskaree remains worth considering, particularly for those interested in organised crime, airport investigations, smuggling networks and strategic cat-and-mouse storytelling.
With its 7.1 IMDb rating and continuing presence in Netflix’s popular-title conversation months after release, the series has clearly managed to find an audience beyond its initial launch.
The biggest reason to watch is arguably Emraan Hashmi’s controlled performance and the show’s unusual customs setting. While its predictable moments may prevent it from reaching the level of the genre’s very best thrillers, Taskaree still offers a solid seven-episode crime drama for viewers searching for something different on Netflix.
