Search Tandav aims for subtlety and nuance, but gets very little of it right It never rises above being a derivative and dull drama on everything that we have always known about Indian politics Priyanka Roy | | Published 18.01.21, 02:07 AM
Tandav kicks off with a farmers’ protest, a zeitgeist of the times we live in. Consistently, through its nine-episode runtime, the series rests on art imitating reality. But what could have been a stark and stinging look at modern politics in the power corridors of Delhi often turns out to be a Bollywood-styled drama characterised by political players who conveniently swing ‘left’ or ‘right’, governments that are formed and broken against the backdrop of horse trading and cow politics, and stretches of overdramatised
Tandav Has Lofty Ambitions but Remains Trite and Lacklustre
The show nods at contemporary events and politics, but is marred by poor acting.
A still from the web series Tandav. Photo: Amazon Prime
The nine-part Amazon Prime series
Tandav, created and directed by Ali Abbas Zafar, opens to a quote by a Polish philosopher â âIn politics, being deceived is no excuseâ â as a mawkish romantic song, reminiscent of â90s Bollywood, plays in the background. This postmodernist flourish, a blend of âhighâ and âlowâ art, is a smart bit of foreshadowing, as the show is pulled by two different forces.
One is centred on the campus politics of Vivekananda University (or VNU, obviously modelled after you know what). The other is set in Raisina Hills, depicting the internal power struggles in Indiaâs ruling party, Jan Lok Dal (JLD), that has governed the country for three consecutive terms. The college and the country, the Left and Right, the two
Saif Ali Khan in Tandav ()2021) | Offside Entertainment/Amazon Prime Video
Ali Abbas Zafar’s Delhi-set political potboiler
Tandav is simmering with dynasts, despots, deviants and the odd dreamer. The Amazon Prime Video series revolves around a party that seems very familiar, what with its internecine squabbles, self-serving leaders and reliance on next-generation politicians.
Gaurav Solanki’s screenplay is bursting with intrigue. Heavy on Shakespeare-lite drama, fond of stark close-ups and meaningful looks, and partial to dark deeds and sinister frame-ups, the nine-episode first season works hard to suggest that something big is going down and that it will affect the very future of India.