General · EdgepediaOctober 3, 20264 min read

Smoke (2018 TV series)

Smoke is a Hindi-language crime drama web series directed by Neel Guha and released as an Eros Now original on 26 October 2018.²^•⁴ Set in Goa, it explores the drug trade, mafia power struggles, and police corruption through a war between rival cartels.¹ The series consists of one season of 11 episodes and stars Jim Sarbh, Kalki Koechlin, Mandira Bedi, Gulshan Devaiah, and the late Tom Alter, among others, with music composed by Karsh Kale.²^•³^•⁵

Key fact	Detail
Format	Hindi-language crime drama web series, one season of 11 episodes, about 42 minutes per episode³
Platform and date	Eros Now original, released 26 October 2018²
Setting	Goa, India; the drug trade, cartels, and the police investigation around them¹
Director	Neel Guha⁴
Principal cast	Jim Sarbh, Kalki Koechlin, Mandira Bedi, Gulshan Devaiah, Amit Sial, Neil Bhoopalam, Satyadeep Misra, Tom Alter, Prakash Belawadi¹
IMDb rating	7.1/10 from about 14,000 votes; the series is listed as running 2018–2019¹
Music	Composed by Karsh Kale⁵

Spoilers

Premise

The series opens with a double murder that shatters the idyllic image of Goa and sends its drug cartels reeling, bringing in ACP Pereira, a police officer determined to clean up the state.⁶ At the center of the story is Moshe Barak, a ruthless Russian drug lord whose turf is threatened by enemies outside and within his organization.² After two members of his cartel are murdered in what is taken as a declaration of war by a rival gang, Barak chooses to strike a deal with the rival Duman network so the two can split profits and avoid further bloodshed.²

The truce does not hold the field for long. Barak has to contend with rivals from across India and abroad, including gangs from Nigeria, Sri Lanka, and Kashmir, as well as treachery among his own aides, all while his operation is watched by the police force led by the no-nonsense Pereira.² The series is fictional and is not based on a true story.⁴

Cast and characters

The ensemble pairs established film and theater actors with the Goa crime setting:¹

Jim Sarbh as Roy
Kalki Koechlin as Tara
Mandira Bedi as Tia
Gulshan Devaiah as JJ (Jairam Jha)
Amit Sial as Pushkar
Neil Bhoopalam as Savio, a deaf-and-mute chef²
Satyadeep Misra as ACP Pereira
Tom Alter as Moshe Barak
Prakash Belawadi as Bhau (Vilas 'Bhau' Sathe)
Kallirroi Tziafeta as Mimi
Paniz Rahnama as Yana Duman

India Today highlighted the pairing of Alter's flamboyant, egotistical Moshe with Prakash Belawadi's understated Bhau, a criminal who values relationships and loyalty over unnecessary violence, as the unlikely partnership at the show's center.⁷

Production and release

Release dates in databases vary slightly: Digit Binge lists 25 October 2018,⁸ and Webisoda lists 3 October 2018,⁴ while Scroll, India Today, and the trailer coverage all give 26 October.²^•⁷^•⁵ The season consists of 11 episodes.³ The music was composed by Karsh Kale.⁵

Reception

Critics gave the series a mixed reception that centered on the gap between its cast and its writing. Scroll's review was titled "Web series 'Smoke' lets a dream cast go to waste," arguing that despite a host of well-known actors associated with edgy cinema, the show offered nothing particularly new or interesting and spread its story over 11 overlong episodes.² India Today took a more favorable view, calling the treatment predictable but the show elevated by good acting and stunning cinematography, with Goa's natural beauty used as an idyllic backdrop.⁷ On IMDb the series holds a 7.1/10 rating from about 14,000 votes.¹

Availability

As of an October 2026 check of 376 streaming services, JustWatch lists Smoke in the United States as streaming on the Eros Now Select Apple TV channel, with no free options.³ Digit Binge separately lists the series on Airtel Xstream, Prime Video, and JIO Cinema in India.⁸ No second season has been announced.⁴

References

Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026