Rudra: The Edge of Darkness (2022) User Reviews (210)

For me, Raashi Khanna stands out the most

[SoumikBanerjee1996 · 6/10 · 5 March 2022]

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!

Abhay or Rudra?

[tajimcom · 6/10 · 4 March 2022]

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......

Ajay Devgn and Raashii Khanna Scintillate This Little Underwhelming Dark-Toned Crime Thriller

[SAMTHEBESTEST · 6/10 · 4 March 2022]

Rudra The Edge Of Darkness (2022) : Series Review -

The British TV series "Luther" was quite a mix of plenty of sourceful materials. The series has been adapted four times (American, Russian, Korean, and French) before Rudra, and a few of them managed to convert some things while keeping the essence intact. With Rudra, it wasn't possible because those things which are quite normal in foreign countries can't be termed logical in India. For a long time, there has been a big difference between our culture and foreign cultures, despite the fact that we have been in the process of westernisation for a long time. The only possible chance for Rudra was to Indianise things and rely heavily on the performances. Well, somehow it misses the former part while gaining the latter one.

Set in Mumbai, Rudra is about a smart, dedicated investigation officer, Rudra (Ajay Devgn), who is consumed by the darkness of the crimes and his relationship issues with his wife, Shaila (Esha Gupta). In the first murder investigation of the series, he meets a brilliant and intelligent psychopath killer, Aliyah (Raashii Khanna). He knows that she is the killer but is unable to arrest her due to a lack of evidence. Meanwhile, she develops an interest in him and later becomes his assistant in crime. The first episode is entirely focused on Rudra and Aliyah, while the next episodes have different murder cases and different conflicts. Rudra starts off on an average note, and you don't even feel that satisfaction after watching the first episode. But then it picks up in the second and third episodes, where intriguing murder mysteries keep it engaging. Then it has another good case in the 4th episode that somehow carries the momentum forward, only to lose it in the next two episodes. The conclusion part is really messy and even looks out of context. Nevertheless, they don't bore you to death. The middle portion definitely adds on to the passing marks, and that's all you can expect from it.

As previously stated, Rudra is heavily reliant on the great acting unit's performances. Ajay Devgn scores high on merit in his digital debut. Those intense eyes, his dialogue delivery, not a scene where you see him going out of character. He is so focused on this messy world of Rudra, and all of it is unbelievable yet acceptable. The best after him is, of course, Raashii Khanna. This girl is here to stay. She has nailed this psycho character, and she looks hot too. Don't tell me you get to see these two things together often. Esha Deol is good enough with whatever scenes she has got, but I think the writer could have offered more variations on her character. This paragraph is incomplete unless I mention those two supporting actors who have made this acting unit shine brighter than it deserves. Ashwini Kalsekar and Atul Kulkarni. What a troupe of talent they are. Believe it or not, in the last two episodes, Atul Kulkarni is even better than the lead actors.

Not minding many of those locations, Rudra could have easily found better things to display. From the episode, you know that it's somehow stuck in the same places, except for those murder premises that take place somewhere else. The cinematography of Rudra was a difficult job to do as it had to bring darkness into the series as well as on the screen. You can't make it too dark because a small screen experience might make it more dull, so it had to find one intermediate point. The same applies for editing too, and I must say, both results are pretty nice. The background score is just superb. It reminded me of Hans Zimmer's score from "The Dark Knight". Now you can imagine how superb it is.

The crime thriller genre is new to director Rajesh Mapuskar. He has done vibrant and light-hearted films like "Ventilator" and "Ferrari Ki Sawaari" and even his filmography as an assistant director belongs to the "Hirani Genre". Rudra is far away from those films; it's very dark and intense, so for a new student, I must say, it's a fine attempt. However, there are unforgivable flaws in the second half of the series that he could have avoided, and he deserves to be blamed for that. Rest assured, it's a watchable crime thriller for crime thriller fans and a must-watch for Ajay Devgn and Raashii Khanna's fans because these two have literally lit up this dark-toned half-dead series. Produced by Applause Entertainment and BBC Studios, Rudra is now streaming on Disney Plus Hotstar.

RATING - 6/10*

Beautifully acted by AD and direction was top notch

[rrahulpanchaal · 7/10 · 4 March 2022]

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.

Bollywood touch to crime thriller ruins the genre.

[anujnvpg · 6/10 · 5 March 2022]

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.

One of the best

[rajendrakhati-39458 · 10/10 · 4 March 2022]

Ajay Devgn debut performance and rashi khanna superb acting are the main reason for its success. It keeps u engaging from the start till the end.. It surely is one of the best web series. The story is also new and refreshing one will not get bored for a single second.

Overall it surely deserves a chance for its superb acting performance story telling and its wonderful direction. For me it is superhit.

Recommended 👍🏼 by Hit Ya Flop - Movie World

[nitsvirusboyz · 7/10 · 4 March 2022]

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.

One of the most amazing Thriller Series

[LyricsDuet · 10/10 · 4 March 2022]

The details in the series is top notch. All the characters did an amzing performance. This is the one of the most amzing thriller series i watch. Thanks for the amzing series.

Should have been made 5 years ago..

[ajaykrcanara · 6/10 · 5 March 2022]

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.

When you cannot even Copy

[kinshuk-gaur · 3/10 · 4 March 2022]

Recent Indian OTT series have shown a lot of affinity towards British series first was Cheat remake as Mithya and now Luther as Rudra. Unfortunately, both lacked originality that makes them deficient.

Rudra an official remake of Luther which falls flat from the word go. I barely managed to sit through the first 3 episodes and they are exact copy of the original. The dialogues are simply translated to Hindi from English and they do not make any impact but essentially sound silly.

Ajay Devgan fails to display the intensity of Idris Alba. Acting is pretty bad for most of the characters and sometimes even over the top. I fail to understand what Esha Deol is doing in this series neither she can act nor deliver the discourse. The screenplay and the direction is shoddy and the passion and aggression that was an essential ingredient of the original series is missing.

Those who haven't seen Luther might enjoy Rudra.

I would request the Indian OTT makers to stick to the original scripts as Rudra is neither original not fetching.

Edge of the seat thriller

[rsomeday-75822 · 10/10 · 4 March 2022]

Its so pleasing to see Devgan in a good script. Rudra is highly gratifying with its story and performances. Rise of OTT im India is few of the good things that has happened in last two years.

Devgn shines in this faithful adaptation of "Luther"

[nidhunmoviebuff · 7/10 · 8 March 2022]

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.

Disappointing Remake

[anubhavtechie · 1/10 · 5 March 2022]

If you want to figure out that why this is a disappointing remake then watch Luther before/after watching Rudra.

Main cast's acting is disappointing as compare to the cast of Lither except Raashi Khanna. She acted better than Ruth Wilson.

Episode specific cast is the USP of this hindi remake. Their acting is good.

Better to watch Luther.

Watchable & Good Acting By Raashi

[saadkhan-61833 · 7/10 · 12 March 2022]

I dont know why Ajay is whispering in this season, I mean its really difficult to understand his dialogues while the other cast is easily understandable. I had to read the subtitles to understand what Ajay is saying. Anyhow, the season is fine, I have heard its a copy paste so it was gonna be good. Few of the episodes were not interesting. The soldier one was very lame at the end. Esha Deol does not look good in this, her acting is also not that great. Rest of the cast was good especially Raashi Khanna. Most of the scenes were intelligently played out because thankfully Ajay was not shown dumb.

Rajiv would report Rudra every single time but does not talk about Aaliya harassing them , breaking and entering everywhere. The end is good and looking forward to the next season.

Brilliant performances in a mediocre series!!

[illumiinati · 7/10 · 9 March 2022]

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.

Engaging Thriller Series!

[karthika-58984 · 10/10 · 6 March 2022]

Firstly Rudra is inspired from "Luther" and is not a scene by scene remake. So people should stop comparing these two and find differences. If looked as an 6 Episode - Independent Series, It's simply brilliant. Director could have easily stretched this to standard 10 episode series by inserting unnecessary elements, but didn't do that and it has to be appreciated. Ajay Devgan has delivered his career best performance. Casting was apt mainly Raashee Khanna and Esha's characters were good. Series ends with a satisfying and open end leaving viewers wait for Season 2. Overall it's best thriller series released in Disney Hotstar so far.

10/10.

For Ajay & Rashi !

[bhupinder_sidhu · 7/10 · 8 March 2022]

I had lot of expectations from this series but unfortunately it failed in certain ways. The weak point of this series is screenplay, it isn't as fast as expected, sometimes you just get bored. The Ajay Devgan & Rashi Khanna did splendid job other characters failed to impress.

Could've been better

[gusainnavdeep · 8/10 · 4 March 2022]

Make no mistake. This drama is a fascinating tale of cat and mouse chase between the criminals and Rudra.

Rudra is the DCP in Mumbai Police who is feared amongst the ranks. He is the one who is willing to go to any lengths to catch the criminals and save human lives.

Meanwhile, Rashi Khanna (Aliyah Chowksey) is a genius psychopath killer who leaves no evidence that could be used to prove her crime. There is a strange relationship between Rudra and Aliyah, one that is made on the foundation of obsessiveness.

This drama is based on the Luther, a BBC series starring Idris Elba. Ajay in the titular role is terrific, and so is Raashi. Acting wise, there is not a single fault in this series. Everyone played their part perfectly, be it Ashwini or Atul or any of the other actors.

But this series is lacking due to a bit of lackluster script, especially in the first half. While the criminal cases were decent enough, there was not much development in terms of Aliyah's story. We never came to knew why she killed her parents. But the last three episodes are certainly entertaining as the writing got a lot better and the cliffhanger at the end has set it up nicely for a sequel.

The most beautiful aspect of this drama is to be the amazing cinematography. The way Mumbai was shot in this drama was just breathtaking, coupled with the use of dark shots.

Ok ok but not equal to Luther at all

[shashanksrivastava · 6/10 · 5 March 2022]

Total copy of Luther still the level of acting is way low than Luther, i thought Ajay Devgan will give a great acting skills but it was average level of Ajay Devgan acting and he can do much much much better than this.

Absolutely senseless and boring

[jos-dsouza · 1/10 · 20 March 2022]

Let's admit the reality: Ajay Devgan just cannot act. Same look and same stone like expressions.

The better actor is wasted. What day Atul?

The storyline is such that the police appear to be fools and some plotters get away with everything. A typical Balaji type serial.

Nothing worth watching. Skip it.

An Impressive Crime Thriller Series

[skmenon1993 · 10/10 · 5 March 2022]

Ajay Devgn as DCP Rudra Veer Singh impressed the audience...

Story portarys him as a strong police cop who never minds breaking the rules to catch a culprit. Although he is considered as a risk factor still department treats me as the asset as he is such kind of a cop who thinks like a criminal and solves the cast faster..

Season 1 , 6 episodes, 6 different crimes but every crime has a common factor. A psychopath is involved in each crime & how Rudra unlock the mystery behind the crime forms the rest part of the story.

Well execution of screenplay as unlocking the crime is very well executed. There was no lagging being experienced in each episode

Star casting of criminals was perfect as they able to justify the roles to the best.

Ajay Devgn stellar performance. Whenever he is for a cop role he performs the best.

Rashi Khanna from her usual character, a psycopath with a mystery feeling presence was being experienced. At some point we felt bit confusing whether she is for or against the DCP

Esha Deol a complete waste for the show...

Atul Kulkarni also gave a stellar performance.

Overall a watchable crime thriller webshow.

Bakwaas

[girishbhatt-43411 · 7 March 2022]

Meaningless and Boring!!!

Tried to cope up just because of AJ .

Even he looks trying his hands somewhere he can't feel they are actually been burning.

Watch it when you are trying to sleep and cannot 😂

Slightly under average.

[ahmxii · 6/10 · 24 March 2022]

I had lot of expectations from this series but unfortunately it failed in certain ways. The part of the reason for my disappointment is the show's inability to maintain a certain kind of mood that was otherwise expected. The weak point of this series is screenplay, which 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.

Overall, I think it could have been better for Devgn's OTT debut.

Boring and disjointed

[samsungshah-27191 · 1/10 · 6 March 2022]

First episode got me excited when i watched 2nd episode i thought I am watching completely different episode. Instead of making it full fledge investigation they chose reveal criminal in first 10 min in both episodes. This compelled me not watch further. I was disappointed with Ajay on this. I was having my hope high that this could be on same level as jack reacher, stupid me.

Could be much better.

[mateeq90 · 6/10 · 21 March 2022]

Cast is good, story could be much better & could be more darker as the title says like "Abhay" web series Kunal done a good job & the story and direction is outstanding.