Taandob 2025

During a live interview on Channel Bangla, the Minister of Power and Energy, Mahtap Hossain, unexpectedly becomes the target of a violent attack when he is shot by a masked gunman known as Swadhin. Swadhin, the leader of an armed group who wears a distinctive monkey mask, hijacks the news station, causing chaos and panic among the staff, police, and media crews who rush to the scene. The gunmen threaten the lives of everyone present, and at one point, they threaten to strip the CEO, Masrur, naked if he dares to raise his voice against the hijackers.

In a chilling live broadcast, Swadhin issues an urgent ultimatum: within one hour, four high-profile individuals—the Minister of Religion, Monayem Chowdhury, Tariq Anam Khan, former IGP Rafiqullah, Shahiduzzaman Selim, channel owner Fayez Karim, Gazi Rakayet, and a top journalist—must be brought to the station’s vicinity. Swadhin warns that if his demands are not met, mass destruction will follow, as demonstrated by his detonation of a bus outside the station, signaling the seriousness of his threat.

The hostages are initially kept at the office of the Home Minister as a temporary holding area before they are sent to the station, but mounting tension requires a mediator. Fayez suggests that Saira Ali, played by Jaya Ahsan, a once fearless and principled reporter known for her integrity and truth-seeking, be the negotiator. Though hesitant, she agrees to help to save the hostages. Before she enters the building, SWAT commander Bayezid provides her with a pen containing a hidden camera, which Swadhin quickly detects and destroys, exemplifying his vigilance. Swadhin then forces everyone to go live on air, asserting that his actions are driven by a quest for justice and accountability.

Swadhin begins to reveal his backstory, explaining that his motives are rooted in a tragic past. Eight years earlier, he was an unemployed young man desperately searching for work, with a girlfriend, Nishat, played by Sabila Nur, who was under pressure from her family to marry. Nishat’s father had given Swadhin only two months to find a job, but his efforts proved futile. His father, Salam, a respected school headmaster, refused to influence the system, insisting Swadhin succeed on his own merit. After a month of rejection and hardship, Swadhin moved to Dhaka and stayed with Saddam, a former student of his father, continuing his job hunt, but facing continued rejection.

Eventually, Swadhin lands a job, shares the good news with Nishat and his father, but on his first day, he is turned away—his job offer had been made mistakenly, and he was ejected after paying a bribe to get the position. Saddam advises him to take up part-time delivery work while striving for higher-paying roles in upscale neighborhoods. Out of shame, Swadhin lies to his family about his struggles. When he attempts to confess to Nishat’s father, disbelief ensues because the latter, unable to hear well without his hearing aid, fails to grasp his words.

Just before his wedding, Swadhin finally secures legitimate employment, but tragedy strikes when he is abruptly arrested by ADC Kamrul and falsely accused of murdering JW Harris, a foreign businessman. Despite claiming innocence, Swadhin is brutally tortured and detained in a black site known as the “Iron Cell,” where he learns that Nishat had committed suicide and his father was killed. Overcome with grief and rage, he kills the guards during a violent breakout, escaping along with other inmates.

As the live broadcast continues, the situation escalates. Swadhin demands confessions from the four officials, and when they initially deny involvement, he uses live footage of his men removing an oxygen mask from Monayem Chowdhury’s sick mother to pressure them into confessing. Eventually, Monayem admits that JW Harris was killed by Armaan Mansur, the volatile son of powerful industrialist Amjaad Mansur, following an altercation. To cover up the incident, Amjaad paid a hefty bribe—৳1,000 crore to Monayem, then the Home Minister—to silence the truth. Other officials, including ADC Kamrul, had discovered Swadhin’s innocence but were removed from the case.

The revelations ignite public outrage, prompting protests and a fiery attack on factories linked to Mansur Textiles. Swadhin orders the arrest of the corrupt officials, and as the situation unfolds, the hostages are released and the officials arrested. Swadhin’s men blend into the crowd and escape amidst the chaos. Before surrendering, Swadhin gives a powerful speech about justice and truth. Interestingly, a secret twist reveals that Saira Ali, played by Jaya Ahsan, had been working with Swadhin all along. She had relentlessly pursued the truth during the JW Harris case, refusing to back down despite pressure from officials like Monayem. Her brother Evan was killed and her family targeted as retaliation for her integrity. It was her idea to hold the live broadcast as a means to expose the corruption.

In a startling revelation, government officials inform Saira that the man claiming to be Swadhin during the broadcast was not actually him. It emerges that back in 2005, the real Swadhin had been killed saving Mikhail, an international terrorist and smuggler, who was imprisoned under a false identity in the Iron Cell and later escaped after killing everyone inside. It turns out that the man arrested in the past was an imposter, and Mikhail had stolen Swadhin’s identity to carry out his vendettas. As the true story unravels, authorities learn that Mikhail’s gang has just stolen Bangladesh’s gold reserves, prompting Saira to dedicate herself to stopping him.

Meanwhile, with Amjaad Mansur under arrest, his unstable son Armaan escapes after murdering the caretaker overhearing plans to hand him over to authorities. The story concludes with a pre-credit scene where Salahuddin Lavlu reveals that Masud finds out his manager leaked their gold reserve theft plan to Mikhail’s gang, leading Masud to kill him and vow revenge, setting the stage for future conflict.

This story weaves themes of corruption, revenge, justice, and the complex nature of truth and deception, all set against a tense backdrop of political intrigue and personal tragedy.