Tabbar: Despite The Flaws, It Is Compelling To Watch
Linus tackles things head-on. He takes sides in his analysis and it fits excellently with our editorial policy. No 'maybe's' and 'allegedly' for him, only things in black and white.
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By Linus Garg
First publised on 2021-10-19 02:55:18
About the Author
Linus tackles things head-on. He takes sides in his analysis and it fits excellently with our editorial policy. No 'maybe's' and 'allegedly' for him, only things in black and white.
View all posts by this Author
How far would a man go to protect his family after an unfortunate turn of events? To any length would be the answer if one goes by the story narrated in Tabbar (now streaming on Sony LIV). Although it is not an original story (we have seen it in Drishyam recently and in the Hindi adaptation of the Turkish show Your Honour, to give just two examples), the way it is transported to semi-urban Punjab and to a middle class family is admirable. Director Ajitpal Singh maintains a tight grip on the flow of events and cuts out the fancy stuff to keep it riveting.
When the happy and ideal family life of Omkar Singh (Pavan Malhotra), a retired policeman who now runs a convenience store, is turned topsy-turvy after an exchange of bags and the accidental murder of the local don's brother at the hands of his elder, IAS aspirant, son, he is sucked into a web of crimes to hide the original crime and protect his family. The additional problem is that the bag contained narcotics and there are many who are after them now. As Omkar comes to know of additional people who discover the first murder, he goes on a killing spree to prevent the truth from coming out. The elder son Happy (Gagan Arora) is his partner in crime and his wife Sargun (Supriya Pathak Shah) is a terrified but silent accomplice.
As Omkar single-mindedly goes on killing people and removing and planting evidence (he even edits a post-mortem report on a computer), some of the sequences appear far-fetched and unbelievable, but the flow of the story is such that it keeps moving from one crisis for the Singh's to another and does not give the viewer the time to reflect. The twists and turns keep the viewer engaged although at times it seems overdone.
What keeps the show first class is the acting. Pavan Malhotra (his second role as a Sikh after the engrossing Grahan), aces the role like the master craftsman that he is. He does not seem out of place in a single scene and it is due to his presence that the series is lifted several notches. Supriya Pathak Shah as his wife who does not like the way things happen but supports her husband to protect the family is also excellent. The rest of the cast fits in seamlessly. Despite its flaws, Tabbar is a series one should not miss although it becomes dark and scary at times.
