Cop Sehtab Singh (Suvinder Vicky) forces Gurnam Singh (Randeep Hooda), a former CAT aka police informant, to join a big drug enterprise in Punjab to spare his drug-peddling brother’s life. Gurnam is forced to confront his dark history as a result of the quest.
CAT is a crime thriller set in Punjab, a location besieged by cartels, cocaine, and crooked cops, written by Balwinder Singh Janjua, who has previously created screenplays for films such as Saand Ki Aankh (2019). The drama follows Gary (Abhishant Rana), an innocent Sikh boy who becomes involved in a drug trafficking plot involving gang lords, cops, and political power.
Gary became a police informant known as CAT during the 1990s insurgency when his parents were murdered by terrorist Baljit Rajpuria (Gurinder Makna).
Later, he takes on the persona of Gurnam Singh and settles down to raise his younger siblings. When his younger brother, Sunny (Danish Sood), is jailed for drug trafficking, Gurnam is compelled to seek assistance from a previous acquaintance, Sehtab Singh. Sehtab compels Gurnam to join his core team—Chandan (Pramod Pathak) and Babita (Hasleen Kaur)—on a mission to break down the narcotics trade in exchange for putting his brother off the hook. Will he be able to save Punjab and his brother from the effects of drugs?
This eight-part series (40-45 minutes per episode) is an engrossing story of crime, fraternity, espionage, and familial love packed with drama and action. Janjua, who co-wrote and co-directed the program alongside Jimmy Singh and Rupinder Chahal, ensured that each episode built on the previous one, keeping the plot on a tight leash. Even the backstories of the individuals have been perfectly blended into the story as Gurnam walks the audience through the build-up and the dramatic climax moment.
Several tracks run concurrently, making it impossible to keep track of everything, such as Madam Aulakh’s (Geeta Agrawal) and her daughter Kimi’s (Kavya Thapar), an ardent admirer of Punjabi rock artist Rocky Ranjha (Eklavey Kashyap). Aulakh operates the narcotics trade boldly with the support of her Shamsher Bhaisahab (Jaipreet Singh), his son Monty (Manish Gulati), and partner Laadi (Dakssh Ajit Singh), each of them has a unique past. In fact, every character in the program has stories from their past and present to share, which becomes overwhelming at times.
CAT is unquestionably Randeep Hooda’s success. He instils in Gurnam a deep sense of humanism. Hooda holds the viewer’s attention in every shot, displaying the appropriate level of seriousness for his character. Abhishant Rana, who plays his younger counterpart, dominates the stage with his reactions. Scenes such as Gurnam’s desperation while pleading with his brother not to use drugs and Madam Aulakh’s revelation of her history will affect you. Suvinder Vicky, who was most recently seen in Ivan Ayr’s Milestone (2020), plays Sehtab Singh admirably. His character is established curiously from the outset.
The series becomes extremely indulgent and ponderous around halfway through. It’s also really dark, with several brutal deaths that will make you wince. Its triumph, though, is in having you empathize with its characters.
The bulk of the girls in the program have been physically abused and are battling their demons and destiny, and you drop a silent tear. Hasleen Kaur impresses as the ardent policeman Babita, while Geeta Agrawal excels as Madam Aulakh by nailing the proper body language and attitude.
The action moments are brilliantly performed, as they are in every other espionage thriller. Arvind Krishna’s cinematography perfectly portrays the authentic and rustic vibe of Punjab. Jatt Vekh Lugaa and Goli Chaldi are two of the series’ lively and cheerful Punjabi songs. And Jam8 and Joel Crasto’s background music combines beautifully and provides vitality to the presentation.
CAT is an engrossing thriller that flies because of outstanding performances by Randeep Hooda and the rest of the ensemble. If powerful dramas with intriguing story twists spark your attention, give this one a try.
