Rudra: The Edge of Darkness

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.

Being an official remake of the British Crime Show "Luther"; Rudra already had a lot on its plate. Contrary to popular beliefs, It's not that easy to adapt to a foreign series through an out and out Indian Lens and that too while keeping the essence of the original project untouched.

Now, I haven't seen Luther, nor do I plan to anytime soon. But I have heard Rudra as the Indian counterpart had tried its best to emulate. Good for them I reckon, However, if you want my take; I'm not sold on it, yet! Looking at how it ends, there's a great possibility that further seasons may follow suit, until that, I would like to withhold my absolute judgement.

As you guys might have guessed from my tone, I'm disappointed, even if slightly. And part of the reason for my discontentment is the show's inability to maintain a certain kind of mood that was otherwise expected. The Screenplay is conspicuously indolent, almost dull at times.

There's hardly any thrill, any sense of urgency in it. While on one hand, the Cinematography, the Sound, the all-around set-up very much gave me the impression of a dark and gloomy approach with some unsettling undercurrents; on the other, the loud pitch of the dialogues and caricaturish performances (not all) were telling something else.

There are six episodes in total, with each one of them dealing with different cases and some personal tragedies of our lead characters. Now, the individual cases are fine, they indeed are well executed with the fourth episode being my utmost favourite of the bunch. However, I'm afraid, the personal dynamics on the other end didn't come out as expressive as intended. Nothing but the Script is to blame for the multitude of drawbacks in here.

Nevertheless, the whole ensemble did well enough for themselves, I guess. Nothing too flamboyant, nor too subtle. While other people may applaud Devgan for his apt portrayal as D. C. P. Rudraveer Singh; for me, it's Raashi Khanna as Aliyah Choksi who stands out the most.

It's quite difficult for me to find the exact reason, the specific rationale behind my preference; but one thing is for certain, her demeanour, her across-the-board get up as one psychopathic genius had won me over, and I have absolutely no regrets admitting the same!

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.

It Reminds me Zee5 series Abhay. Rudra has same patter which Abhay had. There are so many scenes where you will yawn that means it is a bit boring. Overall you can watch it only for Ajay devgan performance and with low expectations with series......

The show has a stellar ensemble cast and each actor has justified their character. It is a well-directed, binge-worthy thriller series that offers thrills and holds your attention but in a scattered way. Each episode focuses on a different case, revolving around intelligent, brutal, and psycho criminals. Some episodes are gripping but some are just passable.

Ajay Devgn, in his digital debut, has delivered an impressive performance. Raashi Khanna and Ashwini Kalsekar gave a decent performance but Esha Deol has nothing to offer here. The show has a strong supporting cast, Atul Kulkarni, Ashish Vidyarthi, and Satyadeep Misra shines in their roles. K. C. Shankar, Hemant Kher, and Luke Kenny played their antagonist part very effectively.

The editor keeps the series short and crisp, viewers can watch in one sitting. It is a faithful remake of the popular BBC crime series Luther. Watch this stylized remake if you haven't seen the original.