Tandav teaser: Saif Ali Khan comes to power in Ali Abbas Zafar's scintillating saga

Ali Abbas Zafar's Tandav will see Saif Ali Khan in a very different role. Having tasted success with Sacred Games on Netflix, the actor will now play a scheming politician in a complex saga. The web-series features a host of noted artistes such as Dimple Kapadia, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Kumud Mishra, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Dino Morea, Kritika Kamra, Gauahar Khan and Sarah-Jane Dias. 

The teaser begins with a very princely looking Khan stepping out onto a verandah as he greets a massive crowd of supporters who are chanting his name. Sudhir Mishra's voiceover then intones, "Politics drives everything in India. And the prime minister is no less than a king." Khan seems to be playing a prince who has his eyes on political power and has to outwit a thousand others who are eyeing his throne. 

At a time when the ruling government is increasingly making attempts to regulate OTT platforms, a scathing political drama feels risky. The series marks the director's OTT debut. Zafar has already displayed his abilities while helming big blockbusters like Sultan (2016) and Tiger Zinda Hai (2017), and this show affords him an opportunity to explore long-form storytelling.

The series was announced as part of Amazon Prime's stable in January 2020. The writing team of the series includes Gaurav Solanki (Article 15, 2019), and is thematically similar to the popular House of Cards series. 

Produced by Himanshu Kishan Mehra and Zafar, Tandav will be streamed on Amazon Prime Video from 15 January 2021.