Tandav is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.Amazon Prime Video web series Tandav is finally out. 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.
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.”
Written by Article 15 fame writer Gaurav Solanki, Tandav is produced by Himanshu Kishan Mehra and Ali Abbas Zafar’s Offside Entertainment.
@justjigar tweeted, "Binged watched @aliabbaszafar’s Tandav last night... the show gave me chills. Truth bombs are dropped so casually that they hit you hard... watch it for Ali’s direction and vision, @_gauravsolanki’s writing, @WhoSunilGrover’s revelation as an actor and @Mdzeeshanayyub’s charm."
Dino Morea, who will be seen playing a political science professor in Ali Abbas Zafar's Tandav, called the series a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
In a statement, the actor said, "I was away from the screen for a long time because I felt I had not been getting good offers. Acting is my first calling, and I would never leave a chance if I get a good role. When I got the offer for Tandav, I loved the script in the first read and didn’t want to miss a chance to work with Ali Abbas Zafar. The ensemble cast also is amazing and diverse. I believe Tandav was a once-in-a-lifetime chance, and I grabbed the opportunity with both hands. Though, the backdrop of Tandav is of politics, it also showcases the complexities in relationships, which makes the show appealing to those who do not have much curiosity about politics."
Amyra Dastur is feeling "grateful" about being a part of Ali Abbas Zafar's Tandav. The actor called the director a "actor's dream." In an interview with indianexpress.com, Amyra said, "He’s amazing. He’s an actor’s dream director. He makes shooting fun. He knows what he wants. And the fact that he’s in touch with every character is so commendable. He knows what shot to take, what reaction to capture, which for me is utter bliss."
AR Rahman's "Dhakka Laga Bukka", which featured in Mani Ratnam's Yuva, is Tandav's anthem.
Talking about the track, Rahman said in a statement, "Certain songs become a part of our culture. Dhakka Laga Bukka from Mani Ratnam’s Yuva is one such song that helped shape the youth culture of that time, leaving an imprint on listeners. As Tandav also evokes the same sensibilities, it felt right to adapt it for this new web series."
Gauahar Khan is playing Maithili Sharan, the confidante of Dimple Kapadia’s politician Anuradha Kishore, in Ali Abbas Zafar's political drama Tandav.
Talking about choosing her projects, Gauahar told PTI, "I’m not choosy but I do relate to quality. For me, the kind of production house and the people I’m working with matters a lot. Every year, I have done projects that have stood out. So for me, quality matters and not that I should just keep churning out things back to back." READ MORE
Tandav actor Sunil Grover talked about his character in the Ali Abbas Zafar directorial series.
He said, “Gurpal is a multi-layered character and something I have never done. Having worked with Ali earlier, I knew that Tandav will be a compelling storyline that is edgy yet entertaining. Ali has created a world that is gripping and given my character the depth that an actor longs for. Saying yes to this role was instinctive and working with accomplished Artists such as Saif, Dimple Ji is a bonus. Hope Tandav entertains everyone.
“There were various influences that come into how you do something and prepare for a particular character. My character is a politician who tends to talk a lot in public places and so there were a lot of Sanskrit-ized Hindi speeches that I had to prepare for Samar’s character. The fun fact here is – I absolutely love speaking Sanskrit. In this show, I had to speak almost 4 Sanskrit speeches every day. So, I had to learn a lot of heavy-duty lines to perfect this role," Saif Ali Khan said in a statement.
Saif Ali Khan in a statement admitted that he finds playing a grey character "more interesting and experimental." He said, "I have done quite a few characters with grey shares, and I have thoroughly enjoyed them. Rather than playing milky-white characters, I do find this more interesting and experimental. I am glad that I am able to play Samar’s character who is vulnerable, fierce, authoritative and kind. It is like channeling a different part of you. Moreover, I don’t think playing a politician’s character is risky at all. Tandav is not a documentary. It is a fictional account."
A Twitter user, @nocturnal_25, mentioned on Twitter, "Not even being biased but really Sana Mir is the only character I felt I cared about. Just can't take eyes off @Kritika_Kamra when she's onscreen. Hers is also one of the more centric and prominent parts in the story and the chemistry with Zeeshan is super sweet!"
@itsmiraziz tweeted, "Took me exactly 5 hours to finish #Tandav and I must say what an amazing performance by Saif Ali Khan, absolutely loved it! Hopefully it doesn’t take 2 years to release the second season"
"#Tandav First 3 episodes in - predictable, Bollywood-laden, unrealistic. Dimple, Dhulia nice, Saif's presence always a plus, but no Sacred Games 1 magic here. Otherwise not a very relatable cast. Let's see if things improve," wrote Agamoni Ghosh on Twitter.
@shivadfilms shared via Twitter, 'Just completed watching 2 episodes of #Tandav. Some scenes lacked pace & seemed to be dragged out, but overall the plot is interesting so far with excellent performances by Saif Ali Khan, Mohammad Zeeshan Ayub and Dimple Kapadia. Background score/theme music is too good.'
Disha Parmar tweeted, "I think Saif looks and does his best in Grey Shade characters! Loving his look in #TandavOnPrime and what can I say about the rest of the cast, Sunil Grover, Dimple Kapadia, Gauhar Khan — cannot wait to watch it!"