CAT (2022 TV series)

“CAT” is an Indian Punjabi-language crime thriller streaming series crafted and scripted by a team comprising Balwinder Singh Janjua, Rupinder Chahal, Anil Rodhan, and Jimmy Singh, exclusively for Netflix. The stellar cast includes Randeep Hooda, Suvinder Vicky, Hasleen Kaur, Geeta Aggarwal, Dakssh Ajit Singh, Danish Sood, Jaipreet Singh, Sukhwinder Chahal, KP Singh, and Kavya Thapar.

Notably, this series marks Randeep Hooda’s debut in the streaming space and represents Netflix’s inaugural foray into creating original content in the Punjabi language.

Plot:

Gurnam, who once served as an informant for the police during the 1990s insurgency in Punjab, comes to the aid of his brother Sunny, helping him avoid a drug trafficking charge with assistance from a police officer named Sehtab Singh. Later, Sehtab recruits Gurnam once again, this time as a spy to gather intel on drug-related activities in the city.

However, while working alongside Sehtab, Gurnam stumbles upon a shocking revelation: Baljit Singh Rajpuria, the person responsible for his parents’ murder, is in collusion with Sehtab. This revelation fills Gurnam with fury, causing him to abandon his mission and focus solely on seeking vengeance for his parents’ tragic demise.

Cast:

1. Randeep Hooda as Gurnam Singh/Gary, informer of police inspector Sehtab Singh
2. Abhishant Rana as teen Gary
3. Danish Sood as Sunny/Sarabjit Singh, Gurnam’s brother
4. Suvinder Vicky as Inspector Sehtab Singh, Police station Jalandhar, Punjab Police
5. Geeta Agrawal as Madam Aulakh
6. Neha Pawar as young Madam Aulakh
7. Kavya Thapar as Kimi Aulakh, Madam Aulakh’s daughter
8. Rehmat Ratan as Keerat Aulakh, Madam Aulakh’s daughter
9. Ajay Bhardwaj as Darbara Singh Aulakh
10. Varun Narang as SSP Kamlesh Arora
11. KP Singh as Jaggi Pradhan
12. Sonpreet Jhawanda as Bikramjeet Singh, STF Inspector
13. Gurinder Makna as Baljit Singh Rajpuria/Bill
14. Jaipreet Singh as Shamsher Singh
15. Sukhwinder Chahal as Mukhtyar Singh
16. Pramod Pathak as Police Inspector Chandan Kumar
17. Dakssh Ajit Singh as Lakhwinder Singh/Laadi
18. Coral Bhamra as Sweety
19. Hasleen Kaur as sub-inspector Babita
20. Manish Gulati as Monty Singh
21. Eklavey Kashyap as Rocky Ranjha
22. Elisha Mayor as Seher Batra
23. Sachin Negi as Heera
24. Ramandeep Yadav as Saaba

Filming:

The first season of the web series was filmed at more than 80 different locations throughout Punjab, with no scenes being shot on constructed sets.

CAT became available for streaming on Netflix on December 9, 2022.

Reception:

Anuj Kumar of The Hindu commented, “At the outset, it appears that Randeep is surrounded by actors of lesser caliber, but as the series unfolds, the authenticity of the characters exudes a compelling rawness. Suvinder excels in the role of the duplicitous police officer, Dakssh Ajeet Singh is entirely convincing as the athlete-turned-criminal, and Abhishant Rana delivers a commendable performance as the young Gurnam. Pramod Pathak, always dependable, portrays the sleazy cop skillfully. The performances harmonize with the locations, dialect, background score, and editing style, and haven’t been embellished to cater to the perceived global tastes of the streaming audience.”

Troy Ribeiro from The Free Press Journal awarded the series a 4/5-star rating and noted, “Delving deep into their respective characters, Abhishant Rana’s intense portrayal of young Gary greatly assists Randeep in seamlessly assuming the role of Gurnam Singh. Both actors are outstanding in their respective roles, leaving a lasting impression on the screen.”

Episodes: