A lot goes into making a series, but the first — and most important — step is getting the content right. Former Indian Navy sailor and screenwriter Vipul L Rawal, who has written the recent Netflix series Taskaree: The Smuggler’s Web, says that while not all his stories are inspired by reality, the Emraan Hashmi-led series is one that “is based on many real-life incidents, a result of director Neeraj Pandey and my extensive research”.
Rawal says he had insider access while writing the story of a customs officer, and integrated several real accounts into the script. “We were introduced to both retired and active smugglers by our consultant, who happens to be a customs officer. A lot of their modus operandi has been incorporated in the script, which was given to us by smugglers and customs officers.”
A still from ‘Taskaree: The Smuggler’s Web’. Pics/Instagram
Smugglers are often depicted as sea bandits — men (and sometimes women) who live by plundering, evoking fear, and thriving where law and order can’t reach — in films. So, one would assume that meeting a few would be intimidating. Rawal, however, insists, “They are not like the smugglers that are usually shown in movies. They are normal people who are doing business. The only difference is that they are importing things into the country without paying the customs duty. But Emraan’s character [Arjun Meena] is totally fictional.”
From the Navy to writing, he calls it a slow pivot, describing it as a “gradual shift towards writing”. Rawal — who has also authored the book Film Ki Kahani Kaise Likhen and is planning his second directorial venture — adds, “Being successful in any creative field is always tough. If the person doesn’t have the intelligence to understand things, it does take time to break in.”
Vipul Rawal’s work
2016 ‘Rustom’
2018 ‘Batti Gul Meter Chalu’
2023 ‘Mission Raniganj’
2024 ‘Sikandar Ka Muqaddar’
