Rudra: The Edge of Darkness is now out on Disney+ Hotstar. The psychological crime thriller is based on the British TV show Luther. Rajesh Mapuskar has directed the show produced by BBC Studios India and Applause Entertainment. The Indian series stars Ajay Devgn as DCP Rudraveer Singh/Rudra, Esha Deol as Shaila, Raashii Khanna as Aliyah Choksi, Ashwini Kalsekar as Commissioner Deepali Handa, and several others. The show has 6 episodes of 50-55 minutes each.
The synopsis reads, “In the crime-ridden streets of Mumbai, journeying through the maze of psychopathic minds is brilliant supercop Rudraveer Singh, guarding against their darkness.”
Disney+ Hotstar’s Rudra: The Edge of Darkness Review Contains No Spoilers
Hotstar Specials Rudra: The Edge of Darkness is set in Mumbai. Rudra encounters various cases where the criminals have a bizarre way of committing crimes. These criminals have a dark past which motivates them to do heinous crimes. In the first episode, Rudra meets a child prodigy, a genius sociopath named Aliyah. Aliyah gets obsessed with Rudra, and her actions affect his personal and professional life.
Rudraveer Singh has a lot on his plate. An incident from the past might decide the fate of his career. Rudra’s marriage is on the verge of breaking; he has to solve back-to-back cases, face new challenges and deal with Aliyah. Will his fight with darkness unleash the darkness he has within?
The first three episodes of Rudra – The Edge of Darkness on Hotstar are riveting and filled with suspense. You find yourself glued to the screen with the curiosity to know what’s going to happen. The third episode has a chilling opening and a crazy villain. The person who commits the crime is quite a clever nemesis to Rudra. This should have been a case that deserved to have 2 episodes. The conclusion to this case felt very easy and incomplete.
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One hopes the show does better in the remaining three episodes. Sadly, it’s filled with disappointment. Along with the cases, the makers try to interest us with Rudra’s personal life. But we’re hardly connected to his equation with Shaila. It feels forced, just like the premise of Aliyah and Rudra. It gets monotonous and annoying. Even the big revelation, towards the end, doesn’t help the plot to revive its intrigue factor. The climax is poorly executed.
The Hotstar series also had several inconsistencies. The show is based in Mumbai. Mumbaikars will easily spot the inaccuracy when a character who stays at Bandra-Worli Sea Link walks out of their apartment (with a knife) and the view outside is of Gateway of India. It’s a big blunder! It was unbelievable to see how quickly the cops could travel from their stations to the crime scenes without any difficulties. Where was the traffic?
Ajay Devgn is a no-nonsense and serious cop as Rudraveer Singh. The actor has some good scenes where he’s done a fair job. But the weak script doesn’t give him much space to do anything extraordinary. But his fans will definitely enjoy watching him in such an intense avatar. Raashii Khanna as Aliyah wins your interest with her tricky personality. But after a point, her character offers nothing substantial. Esha Deol returns to acting after a long time. Sadly, she has the weakest character and performance in the show.
Rudra: The Edge of Darkness Review: Final Thoughts
Overall, Rudra: The Edge of Darkness starts well. The criminals in the show are quite wild and could’ve been given better treatment. The climax isn’t up to the mark. It’s just an average thriller.
The show is now streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.
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Ummmm … a synopsis and an opinion doesn’t make a review! Why don’t Indian reviewers actually do a course in film appreciation and learn to write reviews?