Tanaav Season 2 is like any other espionage thriller with twists and a lot of tense and thrilling moments.
What makes it interesting is that unlike season 1, this time, the plot unravels quickly without getting boring, observes Namrata Thakker.
Tanaav Season 1 saw Kabir Farooqi (Manav Vij) and his team going after the dreaded terrorist Umar Riaz. The show started slowly and took its time to build the characters.
In Season 2, Director Sudhir Mishra gets down to business right away. Right from the first episode, you see a lot of action and the story unfolding quickly, which keeps you engaged.
A new threat, a new villain arrives in Kashmir, making things tough for Kabir and his Special Task Group.
On one hand, peace talks are on with Pakistan and on the other, Fareed Mir aka Al-Damishq (Gaurav Arora) is hellbent on avenging his father's death and hence starts recruiting young engineering students for his mission.
His plan is to do something big, something explosive in India but the story doesn't reveal exactly what.
Junaid (Shashank Arora), who made his presence felt at the end of season 1, doesn't get much screen time in season 2. But he continues to be an important part of the story.
Initially, Junaid and Fareed Mir are together in their mission. But soon, the latter goes rogue and starts executing plans on his own which doesn't sit well with Junaid who now heads the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen.
Harkat disassociates itself with Fareed, putting him in a difficult situation. But he doesn't budge from his mission.
Things also get personal between Kabir and Fareed as their families get dragged into the mess.
Dr Farah (Ekta Kaul), who is married to Junaid in season 2, ends up helping Kabir. Thanks to her, Junaid is behind bars but Fareed is still a big threat.
In the story department, season 2 is like any other espionage thriller with twists and a lot of tense and thrilling moments. What makes it interesting is that unlike season 1, this time, the plot unravels quickly without getting boring.
New characters are introduced in season 2 and they play their parts well and fit in perfectly in the larger scheme of the story.
The editing is sharp, the pacing is good and performances don't let us down either.
Manav Vij, as Kabir, is like that angry young man who won't listen to anyone and is always up for some action.
This time, he's better in the emotional scenes as well.
Rajat Kapoor, Sahiba Bali, Arslan Goni, Satyadeep Mishra, Kabir Bedi, Soni Razdan lend good support to the story.
Gaurav Arora as Fareed Mir is mostly good but there are times when he loses that villainous streak you want to see in a grey character.
Given how season 1 ended, I expected Shashank Arora to have a meaty role and a wicked character arc in season 2. But that doesn't happen and it's disappointing, considering his calibre as an actor.
Ekta Kaul is also good but especially shines in the scenes with Manav.
Will the makers explore Dr Farah and Kabir's love angle going forward? Their chemistry looks very promising.
Season 2 of Tanaav looks exciting with a lot more in store for the audience. The six episodes aren't too long and definitely worth binge watching over the weekend.
Tanaav 2 is streaming on SonyLIV.
