Tandav REVIEW: Absolute Class Piece Of Acting And Script

Delhi: The much-awaited Amazon Prime series Tandav is finally out on the OTT platform on January 15, 2021. The Ali Abbas Zafar directorial features an array of actors, including Saif Ali Khan, Kumud Mishra, Dimple Kapadia, Sunil Grover, Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub, Kritika Kamra, Anup Soni, Dino Morea, Hiten Tejwani, Sarah Jane Dias, Gauahar Khan, Tigmanshu Dhulia and Sandhya Mridul.

Some may find similarities between Tandav and Prakash Jha's Raajneeti.

The official synopsis of Tandav reads, 'The charismatic leader of a premiere political party – Samar Pratap (Saif Ali Khan) feels he’s ready to inherit the chair of PM but Samar’s father, the party patriarch and the PM – Devki Nandan (Tigmanshu Dhulia) isn’t willing to retire yet. Anuradha, Devki’s close associate (Dimple Kapadia), party senior leader Gopal Das (Kumud Mishra) are few of many other leaders considering themselves fit to sit in this chair. But this chair never comes easily, they must constantly keep striving for it.

A parallel story is that of the idealistic campus activist Shiva (Zeeshan Ayyub) who becomes an overnight icon as he shines at a political event. Shiva now wants to bring the change, sway the youth, overthrow the power pillars – he knows the sweet taste of power. And power corrupts. Shiva and Samar will meet as country politics will cross-roads with youth politics. Tandav is the coming together of a series of manipulations that exposes layers of human greed, ambition, love, vulnerability, and violence.'

In Tandava, the farmers protest comes up as a big issue, which gets left behind as the story progresses. In this web series, Muslim citizens have been shown to be easy victims of power under right-wing rule. The colors of student politics are here but prove to be dull in front of the main politics. They do not get out of the triangle of college, hostel, police station. As a student leader, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayub makes a good start but his character keeps getting derailed in between.

The artist who leaves the most terrific impression is Dimple Kapadia. She has made her role credible. Though Saif Ali Khan gets the benefit of being a hero. He neither sets up as a leader nor looks like a dictator, in the end his innings is definitely certain when Samar Pratap Singh comes in the role of King Maker. Sunil Grover is a good actor and he has capitalized on the opportunity found here. Other artists have tried their best to fit in their own space.

A glimpse of the palace of Saif Ali Khan, a descendant of the bygone Nawabs, is a good reason to see this webseries. Camerawork and character dresses are also attractive here. Tigmanshu Dhulia, however, is terrific as Devki Nandan (who is eliminated after episode one).

Written by Article 15 fame writer Gaurav Solanki, Tandav is produced by Himanshu Kishan Mehra and Ali Abbas Zafar’s Offside Entertainment.