Neeraj Pandey on ‘Taskaree,’ Franchise Strategy and Why 2026 Could Be Hindi Cinema’s Biggest Year Yet

George Jiglea

Neeraj Pandey did not set out to top Netflix ‘s global non-English charts. In fact, the Indian filmmaker behind “ Taskaree : The Smuggler’s Web” – whose credits include “A Wednesday,” “Special 26,” “Baby” and the blockbuster biopic “M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story” – says he was not even aware such a category existed. “When you’re making a show, you’re not thinking of all these things,” Pandey tells Variety during a conversation in London, where he was scouting locations for an upcoming film. “I