Tanaav, set in the tense atmosphere of Kashmir, follows the story of Kabir Farooqi, a retired Special Task Group officer. Kabir thought he had left the dangerous life of a field agent behind, but not yet. Kabir is pulled back into action when the Indian Intelligence Group discovers a shocking truth—Umar Riaz, a notorious terrorist leader known as Panther, is alive. This is the same Panther Kabir believed he had killed with his own hands. The news of Panther’s survival shakes Kabir to his core. He was naturally reluctant at first, but his sense of duty and the need to finish what he started made him rejoin the task force. But this time it felt like it was even more personal for him. His ego got the best of him and he has the desire to take Panther down for good this time, for the sake of his country and to complete the mission. Was he successful? Let’s find out from this Season 1 recap of Tanaav, streaming on Sony Liv.
Spoilers Ahead
Why did Panther come back in business?
The series started with a man known as the Professor, who got kidnapped by Indian intelligence. They took him in for questioning in the hope of extracting vital information. At first, the Professor was naturally reluctant to talk. He knew that if he revealed anything, the people of Pakistan would label him a traitor, a fraud. But when the safety of his ailing daughter, Aasma, came into play, he had no choice but to open up. And what he revealed was shocking—Umar Riaz, also known as Panther, was still alive. This was the same Panther that STG officer Kabir had supposedly killed in a previous mission. Realizing the gravity of the situation, the team knew they needed Kabir back on the force. He was the only one who truly understood Panther’s tactics, the only one who could take him down for good. So, Officer Vikrant Rathore went to meet Kabir to bring him back into the force again. When we first saw Kabir, he was living a peaceful, secluded life, making jam and spending time with his family. He seemed happy and content, far away from the chaos of his old life. But when Vikrant told him that Panther was still alive, something shifted in Kabir. Despite knowing his family needed him, he couldn’t just stand by and let sleeping dogs lie. The mission called him back.
Determined to finish what he started, Kabir rejoined the force. They learned that Panther’s brother, Asif, was getting married soon, and there was a good chance Panther would be there. A plan was made to capture him at the wedding. Kabir and his team moved in, and at first, everything seemed to be going smoothly. But then, the Pathaans caught on to them. They noticed Kabir and another team member talking in secret and started questioning them. This sparked something in Kabir—maybe it was his frustration that these terrorists kept slipping through their grasp, or maybe it was his anger at being questioned. Whatever it was, Kabir lost control and started firing wildly. Chaos erupted at the wedding, with everyone running and panicking. Amidst the chaos, a tragic accident happened—Kabir’s son, Danish, who was also on the task force, fired his gun, and Asif, Panther’s brother, was killed. Realizing the disaster they had caused, the team retreated, but Kabir was beyond listening to orders. He knew he had to complete his mission to capture and kill Panther. He started hunting him down and managed to spot him and even shot him from behind. But just as he was about to capture him, it was too late—Panther had already disappeared. Even though Panther went into hiding, he was now burning with the desire for revenge. The death of his brother at the hands of the Indian army, during his own wedding, was not something he would let go unpunished.
What happened to Danish?
Asif’s fiancée was deeply hurt and betrayed after his death. She knew she wanted revenge against these STG officers. That’s why she met with Panther, desperate to find a way to get back at those responsible for her husband’s death. Seeing how angry and heartbroken she was, Umar knew he had to help her. So, he gave her explosives and told her to go to a café where Danish’s fiancée was supposed to meet him. The plan was simple—she could use the explosives to kill them both and get her revenge. But when she got to the café and met Danish’s fiancée, something unexpected happened. The fiancée was kind-hearted and sweet toward her, which made her wonder why she was going to kill her in the first place. And maybe then she started thinking, what’s the point of living if Asif is gone? Still, with Asif’s face in her mind, she decided to go through with the plan. She let the explosives detonate. She knew that she was going to die in the explosion, but she did not run. In that tragic blast, both she and Danish’s fiancée lost their lives, along with others in the café. Kabir knew the pain his son would go through after losing his fiancée and realized Danish would be even more determined to kill Panther and complete his mission. Panther, aware of this, made sure to stay hidden. He got help from Farah, a doctor at the hospital where he was hiding, to keep himself safe. Kabir and his team couldn’t find him, which only added to Kabir’s frustration. To take revenge for all the mess that had been created, Panther decided to kill the Professor—the very man who betrayed them by revealing their secrets to the Indian forces. But Panther didn’t stop there. They managed to kidnap Danish too, while he was following Panther’s trail, trying to avenge his fiancée’s death.
When Danish was kidnapped, he tried his best not to reveal his identity, but who was he trying to fool? Panther was experienced in these matters, and he didn’t care. They beat him and were about to kill him because he was not only after Panther, but also the one who had killed Asif, Panther’s brother. Panther knew he had to kill Danish. But then, Panther found out that Kabir, along with the Indian forces, had captured Mir Sir, one of Panther’s key leaders who funded their terrorist missions, along with Panther’s daughter, Aafiya. So, Panther had no choice but to agree to exchange Danish for Mir Sir and his daughter. During the exchange, something changed in Panther. Maybe it was his desire to show that he was still the same ruthless Panther who wanted to complete his mission and get justice against the STG. Danish had explosives strapped to his body, and when he was about to be handed back to the Indian team, Danish grabbed Mir Sir by the collar. He warned them that if they didn’t do what he wanted, he would kill Mir Sir. But Panther was so relentless that he ordered his man, Junaid, to detonate the explosives. He knew this would kill Mir Sir, Danish, and possibly even his own daughter, Aafiya. But he didn’t care. Panther wanted to terrify the Indian forces, to show them that he was still the dangerous terrorist they once tried to kill but who was still alive. As ordered, the explosives were detonated, which ended up killing both Danish and Mir Sir. Aafiya was severely injured but somehow survived.
What happened to Panther?Â
Zainab, who was Panther’s wife, was devastated when she found out that he had ordered the blast that could have killed their own child. She realized that her husband had gone completely fanatic. For much of her life, she had been living as a widow, as she thought Panther was dead and had sacrificed his life for the nation. Now, suddenly, he had come back and started ruining their lives all over again. Zainab knew she couldn’t take it anymore. So, she decided to take matters into her own hands. She reached out to the STG for help. Once Aafiya recovered, Zainab took her daughter, got a UAE passport, and planned to leave everything behind and return to her home. When Panther heard about this, he became even more furious and frustrated. He blamed everything on the Indians, convinced that they were constantly trying to destroy him and his mission. In a desperate move, he planned for a nerve gas attack on the Indians as his final act of revenge.
Meanwhile, Kabir was working on his own plans. On one hand, he pretended to be a CTU officer named Adil Sheikh and made the doctor, Farah, fall in love with him. Kabir knew that Junaid had feelings for Farah and that he could use her to gather information. On the other hand, Kabir learned about Panther’s whereabouts and decided to take a bold step. Kabir approached Panther by introducing himself as Zafar Bilal, a man supposedly willing to sacrifice his life for jihad and join Panther’s terrorist mission. Panther, who didn’t recognize Kabir as the man who had tried to kill him years ago, accepted him for the mission. He needed all the help he could get, and history showed that he trusted anyone willing to join his cause. But the Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU) had other plans. They captured Kabir and brought him back to the Indian STG. The problem was that Panther was still out there, and Kabir wasn’t going to rest until he got his revenge. This time, they had a foolproof plan.
Kabir knew he could succeed in the mission because neither Junaid nor Panther had realized who he really was. Kabir, still pretending to be Bilal, went to meet Panther’s gang. But then, Junaid was called to the CTU HQ and showed a video that exposed Kabir’s true identity. The video showed that Kabir was the same man who had killed Panther years ago, the same Bilal who had joined their team, and the same Adil who had fooled Farah into falling in love with him. Junaid was furious—not just at Kabir, but at Panther too. How could Panther be so gullible? How could he not recognize his own supposed killer? How could he lead them in their fight for the country if he does not know how to protect himself? Something changed in Junaid at that moment. He decided to take matters into his own hands. Junaid ordered the unit not to go through with the operation involving Bilal as he knew that Kabir was actually an Indian soldier with a tracker on him. They tried to get rid of the tracker to mislead the STG, but the Indian officers arrived just in time to back up Kabir. But just as they were about to go after Panther to finish him off for good, something shocking happened. They discovered that Panther had already been killed. And by whom? None other than Junaid, his most trusted right-hand man.
So, in the end, one way or another, the mission to get rid of Panther was successful. But now, Kabir and the Indian soldiers have a new problem on their hands: Junaid, the Pakistani terrorist who went missing after Panther’s death. It’s pretty certain that Junaid will come back, probably in the next season, and he might even try to take revenge on Kabir for all the betrayal. But it seems like Kabir’s personal life isn’t going smoothly either. After finding out that his wife was involved with one of his colleagues, he left his house. And if that wasn’t enough, Farah, his new lover cum informant, got hold of a video that showed Kabir wasn’t really Adil, the CTU officer she fell in love with, but actually an Indian soldier. Junaid likely sent that video to her. So, what’s going to happen to Kabir now? That’s something we’ll probably find out in Tanaav Season 2.
