‘Tandav’ is a testament that good political dramas can be made with a barrage of exceptional talent

A good Indian political drama? We have seriously faced an enormous scarcity of it and just when we have had some promising projects over the years, barely any have lived up to the promise. So, to even conceptualize Tandav on Amazon Prime Video was a feat in itself where you have to try to stay away from storytelling clichés and still present an engaging and gripping 9-episode series. Having had the opportunity to watch the first 5 episodes, I can say that Tandav is a successful chapter in this otherwise dull book.

You might have seen your House of Cards, Designated Survivor and similar shows and left longing to have a good show with the backdrop of Indian politics. Unfortunately, the usual drama of taking offence and the madness that would follow in real life owing to that project has overpowered the creative instinct and of course, making it too hazardous an attempt. Courtesy the web, we finally have a show like Tandav that deep-dives into the curiously fascinating and even ugly world of Indian politics.

Tandav has a barrage of fantastic moments. The story and parallel plots are indeed convoluted but not to the extent that you lose track of it. The weaving of all the shockers, deceit, betrayal and what not is expertly done by writers Gaurav Solanki and Ali Abbas Zafar. They successfully manage to create a fictitious yet extremely believable modern world of Indian politics which even proves to be popcorn entertainment worthy.

Too many twists and turns can easily spoil the plot as we have seen with films like Race 2 and Race 3 (for example) but when you entwine the twists smartly, it can pass off as a mark of brilliance. Apart from the signature political jargons and scenes, there are smart references to the JNU saga and even the famous Kanhaiya Kumar speech of ‘Azaadi.’

Just like the twists, one would imagine that having way too many actors would also be a classic case of ‘too many cooks spoiling the broth’ where some may shine, others may not get apt screen time. But Tandav surprisingly manages to give justice to each and every character. There are just too many actors that are involved in their respective plotlines but not for one moment do you feel it's getting overwhelming. While you obviously expect the likes of Saif Ali Khan and Dimple Kapadia to shine, it is the rest of the cast with special mentions that take the cake. I was especially surprised to see Shonali Nagrani playing Aditi Mishra where the actor hasn’t done too many acting projects over the years and does a fine job here. The likes of Sunil Grover, Gauahar Khan, Kumud Mishra, Kritika Kamra and others absolutely nail their parts too. And even though I have already mentioned above- Dimple Kapadia was outstanding and needs to work a lot more in the right projects.

The cinematography of the show is excellent especially in the scenes where there is over 15-20 actors involved and has shocker moments. One of the sequences has a meeting going on where Kapadia’s character is announcing the ministries that is being allotted. The camera{s) masterfully captures every actor’s reaction and has you biting your nails.

Coming to a few negatives, one of the most prevalent ones is the editing of the show. At times, it gets too haphazard and leaves you feeling the scene was incomplete. Apart from that are some scenes that are conveniently placed in the screenplay for a development to happen later which further makes it predictable and even cliché.

In the end, Tandav is an absolutely glorious chapter in the Indian entertainment history. No, I am not over exaggerating and only stating this based on how it might be amongst the first GOOD political drama to come in.

Rating - ***1/2 (3.5/5)