A NEW Indian web series that was partially filmed in Bahrain recently released its first teaser, spotlighting the kingdom’s rising status as a sought-after destination for global film and television productions.
Taskaree: The Smuggler’s Web, filmed at iconic locations across the kingdom, including Bahrain Bay and Nurana, is set to release on Netflix on January 14, 2026. It will feature Bollywood superstar Emraan Hashmi, among other well-known talents.
The storyline delves into the behind-the-scenes world of airport customs – a subject that creator Neeraj Pandey says has not been fully explored on screen.
Indian expatriate and creative professional Vivian Pinto, who has lived in Bahrain for the past seven years, played a key role in bringing the project to the kingdom. A media and entertainment Master’s degree holder from Manipal University, Bangalore, Mr Pinto has previously collaborated with prominent Bollywood figures and worked on films such as the Shah Rukh Khan starrer Raees and the biographical crime thriller Daddy, featuring Arjun Rampal in the lead.
For this series, Pinto teamed up with popular Bahraini talents Yousif Al Sahhaf and Mohamed Fareed, and they jointly planned and executed the project as line producers.
“In October last year, the show’s first assistant director called me and said they were looking to explore a part of the story in the Middle East,” Mr Pinto told the GDN.
“That is when I got together with Yousif and Mohammed, whom I already knew, and we sat together and made a deck about Bahrain. We brainstormed possible filming locations and discussed how best to showcase Bahrain based on the story’s needs,” he added.
Having closely followed Mr Pandey – who is also the show’s co-director and co-writer – over several years, Mr Pinto realised that the filmmaker was particular about honouring the script.
“Neeraj does whatever the script justifies and we followed his vision,” Mr Pinto said.
Once the project got through, the trio embarked on an extensive journey of planning, given its massive scale. More than 100 cast and crew flew in this February to film over four days.
“Before that, we had to get the required permissions. Mohamed took complete charge of all the official communications, I was more on the operational side of things,” Mr Al Sahhaf added.
He said there was a technical recce to ensure everything was in place before filming started.
“We had up to 50 Bahrainis on the core team and close to 400 local actors over the four days of filming,” revealed the artist, who has more than 15 years of experience in production and other aspects of filmmaking.
Born into an artistic family, Mr Al Sahhaf was exposed to the nuances of cinema from an early age, which led him to pursue his degree in public relations and mass communication at University College of Bahrain. He has since worked on many documentaries, short films and advertisements.
“One of the best things about a project like this is that it brings so many local sectors to life. For instance, in terms of transportation, we had about 25 vehicles going around,” Mr Al Sahhaf explained.
He said Bahrain is ‘ready’ for international productions and is one of the best places in the world to film in.
Mr Pinto couldn’t agree more. “Bahrain is a very ideal filming location because it is logistics-friendly, which is hard to find in this part of the world. You can quickly move from one location to the other, say from desert to sea, here. I remember that we had to shoot at 12 sub-spots in a single day for this project,” he said.
“Most importantly, the people here are so grounded and supportive, which makes work a lot easier; whether it is getting permits or extras for the show – Mohamed’s (Fareed) experience was immensely helpful on that front.”
Mr Fareed worked across sectors like banking, education and logistics before pursuing his true passion – cinema. He has produced and directed numerous projects and co-founded a company dedicated to producing genre films.
“Many individuals and authorities have helped us make this project a success. We would like to thank Information Minister Dr Ramzan Al Nuaimi, National Communication Centre media office directorate director Zainab Al Nasheet, Bahrain International Airport and all those who supported us,” he said.
“I hope this show opens doors for bigger opportunities for Bahrain – it will be an honour to work with Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan someday.”
Waxing eloquent about the kingdom’s ‘close-knit’ film-making community, Mr Al Sahhaf emphasised that the project has reinforced Bahrain’s position on the international production map.
“This series has propelled us towards creating more narrative-driven content next year. That’s exciting because the Bahrain market thrives on strong storytelling, and initiatives like this refresh the industry and push narrative work forward,” he said, adding that the trio has several projects lined up for announcement in the coming year.
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