Actor Emraan Hashmi is overwhelmed and ecstatic that his latest series Taskaree: The Smuggler's Web has topped Netflix's charts, becoming the first Indian series to debut at the number one spot on the streamer's global top-10 non-English TV list in the first week of its release. However, the actor revealed that he is not surprised by its massive success and positive reception.
"You just hope for everyone to like your show. The intention was for it to kind of work in a big way in India... I got a call from my manager and he's like 'It's gone global and it's reached the number one spot so fast. So, I asked him, 'Can you say this again'. I'm still processing it," Hashmi said in an interview with PTI.
"But it's great... It's very pulpy, thrilling and a fast watch. It's everything that a show should be. I'm not very surprised that everyone's enjoying the show across the globe. I know after this show, people are going to see airports in a very different light," he added.
Created by filmmaker Neeraj Pandey and co-directed by Raghav Jairath, the show focuses on the high-stakes world of airport customs and how its officers serve the nation while staying out of the spotlight. Hashmi plays one such officer pitted against a seasoned smuggler.
Taskaree is one among the many Indian series to have entered the streamer's worldwide charts after the success of shows like Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar, The Ba****ds of Bollywood and IC-814: The Kandahar Hijack.
Speaking about how he entered into the world of Taskaree, Hashmi said, "There's never been a piece made on a story that revolves around our custom officers. I think that was a novelty that kind of drew me in. Obviously, I am also working with Neeraj and Netflix again. It was like a dream team. And you'd be a fool to say no to something like this."
The actor said he was "blown away" after reading the first four episodes of the show. "There is a saying, 'You had me at hello'. Neeraj called me and said there's a show but he had me on that show already. It was just the icing on the cake when he sent me the entire four episodes. I was blown away. I finished reading it in one go. Very rarely you get something that's so engrossing through and through. And that just translates. When you see the show, there's not a dull moment. And that's exactly what I saw on paper," he elaborated.
Taskaree marks Neeraj Pandey’s fourth collaboration with Netflix after 2024's film Sikandar Ka Muqaddar, 2022’s Khakee: The Bihar Chapter and last year’s Khakee: The Bengal Chapter. Emraan also returns to the platform after his much-lauded cameo in The Ba***ds of Bollywood.
The series is currently streaming on Netflix.