Cat

Another good one by Netflix. It initially starts slow but story picks up midway. The back and forth moving screenplay perfectly unfolds the story and establishes characters, their morality and motives. I watched entire series in Punjabi and it is best seen that way rather than dubbed Hindi version. After a very long time watched a very well written webseries. All performances are top notch and Randeep Hooda my god! What a powerful performer. He portrays immense emotions through even simple actions like cleaning floor and tying turban. He is a gem of an actor and Netflix has capitalized very well on it. Can't wait for next season.

A reuctant spy being used as a pawn by people more powerful and ambitious than him is a concept that is not new to cinema. CAT, the new Netflix show, takes this age-old formula and yet, manages to make it fresh and gripping through an eight-episode arc. The show can be described as Netflix's first Punjabi original (it is almost bilingual with the dialogue shuffling between Punjabi and Hindi). And that is not the only thing novel about the series, which uses Randeep's talents fabulously. Randeep is in top form as Gurnaam, the man who enters the show as a reluctant family man and by the end, goes through a Walter White-like transformation into a hardened, scheming killing machine. But the real star of the show is veteran Punjabi actor Suvinder Vicky, who plays Gurnaam's handler, the scheming cop who only has his own interests at heart. His dynamic role gives the actor scope and he brings out a delicious performance, showcasing ambition, jealousy, and lust for power quite effortlessly. Former Miss India Hasleen Kaur's transformation into a de-glam lower middle-class cop deserves mention. It is bold of an actor coming from her background to opt for a role like this and then takes talent to pull it off like she does.

CAT is about a spy named Gurnam Singh aka Gary who has been assisting the police since his teenage days in spying terrorist gangs and getting them caught. Years later, the political situation gets ths same police to once again rope in Gurnam to fulfill an objective .

What starts off as a mere mission for Gurnam and the policeman Sehtab soon transitions into what would eventually Gurnam would discover as "extremely dirty ". Meaning, things get really dirty as the series progresses with many shocking revelations about Gurnam's troubled past are made towards the end that pave the way for S2.

The screenplay is fast and engaging. I would say ..just like the recent Netflix series Khakee, CAT too is not very detailed about the problems existing in Punjab in year 2006 but still it's the engaging screenplay and terrific performances that hold your attention right till the end. It highlights the male chauvinism that exists in Punjab where a powerful man would literally get hurt on his ego if a woman would dare slap him and would then punish the woman in a very bad way. The pace of this series never slackens as it moves back and forth between Gurnam's past and present.

Viewers are kept in suspense as to who exactly killed Gurnam 's parents in the past.

While one twist regd Sehtab is predictable, the other one, regarding the gangster Baljit is quite unpredictable.

Randeep Hooda as Gurnam is terrific! He was born to play this role and in scenes where he is desperate about his brother Sunny, he shines. You can see the helplessness in his eyes as well in those scenes. Others like Sehtab , Chandan Kumar (his character was a bit funny), Madam Aulukh , Babita were all good.

Some really unnecessary characters are there like one singer Rocky who has the most unnecessary forced twist. After the twist his character literally disappears. That's bad right! Even Madam Aulukh's daughter is given some unnecessary screen space who has absolutely nothing to do in this series. Even that prostitute girl has no importance in this series and is unnecessarily there to eat up time.

Baljit's character too is a bit weirdly written. At the beginning he's shown as a confident man but in present he's shown as timid as a goat. Is there a twist here as well? How did his character trait change ?

All these things are going into S2 which is imminent. I am super excited to see what happens next as ..maybe the series will shift to Canada. The last scene of this series will excite you even further. Overall, a good binge watch worthy series.

CAT (2022) - 100%

In The Busy World We Live, It's Quite Rare For Someone To Finish A Show In One Go, But There Are Exceptions Like Balwinder Singh Janjua's "CAT"... It Boldly Sheds Light On The Menace Of Drugs, Terrorism, Gun Culture Without Trying To Be Politically Correct... Randeep Hooda Has Carried The Whole Season On His Shoulders... His Performance, Look, Accent Are Brilliant... He Deserves More Such Good Roles In The Future... Suvinder Vicky Is A Discovery... His Complex Character Will Force You To Think Till The Last Minute... Hasleen Kaur, Pramod Pathak & Other Supporting Actors Have Also Performed Exceptionally Well.

After a long time, Netflix has come with a series which is close to the level of Sacred Games. Barring last two episodes which I couldn't fully digest (which failed to bring everything well together).. the series is brilliantly made.

What's good?

The screenplay is quite tightly written and keeps you hooked throughout. Acting overall is superb. Randeep Hooda especially does an amazing job and gives a fantastic performance. Casting has been great and the supporting actors also play their roles quite effectively. I really enjoyed some plot twists and they have me goosebumps.

Some scenes are so gruesome and shot very well. Amazed with the cinematography.

What could have been better?

Ending was okay but I couldn't digest it properly. They over did certain things. Could have kept it simple as there was no need for shock value towards the end.