Rudra: The Edge of Darkness

No doubt Luther was a classic when it was first realeased in 2010. But if we talk about the content which is nowdays being served by indian OTT, this series which is helmed by versatile Ajay Devgn and stunning Rashi khanna, feels little old and more or less episodes of crime petrol.

The Indian recreation of the hit British detective series "Luther" (2010-19) stays perhaps too true to the source material, offering nothing new or intriguing to fans of the original show. Ajay Devgn is perfectly cast in the role immortalized by Idris Elba, as a mercurial but brutish and fractious detective who doesn't necessarily go by rulebook when it comes to his investigations.

As an officer of Mumbai's Special Crimes Unit, the initial episodes feature "Rudra" in a police procedural format, with each episode throwing up a different vicious predator for him to hunt down. The casting deserves praise with Raashi Khanna the standout among a stellar set of antagonists. Director Rajesh Mapuskar has adapted the narrative of "Luther" exceedingly well, with none of the protagonists' motivations or circumstances feeling forced or contrived and capturing the "greyness" that made the original series such a cult favourite.

Ashwini Kalsekar and the ever-dependable Anil Kulkarni put in marvellous displays as Devgn's supporting officers and the British capers of the original series are Indianized convincingly and with excellent production quality. Esha Deol who plays Devgn's estranged wife is perhaps the show's weakest link. In a role that needed to be impactful despite the short screen time, the actress, unfortunately, remains nondescript and downright cringe-worthy in her sequences, in a performance that reminds you of why she took a break from Bollywood in the first place.

Devgn is clearly at ease in investigative thrillers, with his gritty performance in the iconic "Gangaajal" (2003) being one of my favourite cop dramas ever. Here, he is asked to be almost the polar opposite of what we are used to in his "Singham" franchise of films - surgical, methodical and cerebral with his investigations rather than falling back on brute force. But the seasoned actor switches gears without breaking a sweat, delivering a performance worthy of the iconic original show.

Definitely recommended for people who have not watched "Luther". For those who have, catch it for ¬a splendid acting performance from Devgn who is finally given a non-superficial cop character to flesh out and show his immense range in.

All the actors were well suited to their roles but the story was somewhere very depressing type . Also there is little cringy taste of typical bollywood theme in some scenes where the flow of movie got broken. Like for example Rudra ie Ajay devgn is presented as a very sharp,well balanced cop but sometimes he behave like he is some chutiya romeo. That ruins the impression of him as a Rudra. Also the story is not well presented and cinematography was also quite black themed.

Tauted as an official remake of the British series Luther, Rudra lacks all the tension, grip and intensity of the original.

The screenplay never rises above mediocrity. Writing lacks the punch. Even the most intense parts, appear to have been written lazily. Only thing that stands out are the performances. Ajay Devgn is brooding and intense. And even brings out the vulnerability of Rudra brilliantly. Ashish Vidyarthi and the guy playing Prabal Thakur impress. Ashwini kalsekar and Atul kulkarni are ok and overact in some scenes.

But it's Rashi Khanna who just springs a pleasant surprise. She looks hot, dangerous and intriguing. She's absolutely fantastic.

Her chemistry with Ajay is amazing. Wish there were some more such moments in the series.

Overall not disappointing and a one time watch for sure. But Devgn's OTT debut could have been a lot better.

It's a wonderful series and looking forward for the second part even. All the characters have played a very important role except Esha Deol as her role is a flop show as she never was even an actor. If her role was played by someone else have been great. No words for Ajay as he is a real performer and. A good story with a good direction.