Based on the British series Luther and directed by Rajesh Mapuskar, Rudra: The Edge Of Darkness stars Ajay Devgn, Raashi Khanna, Esha Deol Takhtani, Ashwini Kalsekar, and Atul Kulkarni. This series was highly anticipated as it marks Ajay Devgn’s OTT debut.

Devgn plays the titular role of Rudra, a cop who is a pain in the neck for his superiors. His immediate boss, Deepali Handa (Ashwini Kalsekar) is tough and does everything in her power to put out the fires that follow DCP Rudraveer Singh wherever he goes. Kalsekar and Atul Kulkarni, who plays officer Gautam Navlakha, make a good team on-screen and are not unpleasant in their characters in Rudra. However, the potential of these powerful actors remains untapped in the series.

Ajay Devgn tries too hard to be intense but it’s obvious that he’s not really feeling it, especially in the beginning. He doesn’t look intimidating enough to be a hardened cop who doesn’t always play by the rules. Devgn is trying to be Idris Elba but we never even expected that to work. Thankfully, however, Devgn comes into his own as the series proceeds and is tolerable to watch.

Esha Deol Takhtani plays Shaila Durrani, Rudra’s estranged wife. This could have been an emotive role and had the potential to be a standout character. But Takhtani is mostly blank and her dialogue delivery is painfully robotic. Even when she’s supposed to be scared, it looks like she’s pretending to indulge a child’s pranks. The moments that are supposed to be the most intense turn out to be emotionless because Esha Deol Takhtani ensures this with her consistently mediocre performance. This isn’t the comeback we had hoped she would make.

Raashi Khanna plays Aliyah Choksi, a psychopath and murderer who is a thorn in Rudra’s life. This is one character that you eventually look forward to knowing better. Aliyah is an intriguing character who has a commanding screen presence and is the true mystery in the series.

The series doesn’t start well and looks highly simplistic in the beginning, but from the second episode, Rudra picks up and starts demanding your attention. So, if you can make it through the first episode, the rest of the series gets much better. Fair warning, some of the visuals and stories, especially in the third episode, can be disturbing for some viewers.

To Mapuskar’s credit, it’s refreshing to not have every big moment accompanied by thumping music. The background score and visuals are not overwhelming and that’s a good thing. But the series deserved more. It deserved better writing, a better supporting cast, and much better character development for the titular role.

Rudra is worth a watch, but don’t expect to be blown away. All six episodes are streaming now on Disney+ Hotstar.

Related: Bridgerton S2, Rudra, And More: 10 Series And Movies To Add To Your March OTT Watchlist

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