'Rudra' Review: Ajay Devgn is flawless in this slow-paced old-school crime drama

New Delhi, India

OTT has played a major role in the pandemic-affected world as it emerged as a saviour for the entertainment industry and moviegoers alike. But after two years in the spotlight, are OTTs becoming a dumping ground?

Making his OTT debut with 'Rudra – The Edge of Darkness', Ajay Devgn stars in a series that is a remake of the British series 'Luther' as the Bollywood actor steps into Idris Elba's shoes as an obsessive police officer. 

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The series is set in Mumbai, India and Ajay Devgn plays the role of a cop DCP Rudra Veer Singh, who is 24/7 dedicated to his service. He is smart, cunning and solves crimes with his sharp mind but that only leads to his personal life suffering at the hands of his profession. 

Director Rajesh Mapuskar wastes no time and quickly takes the audience into the dark tricky world of Rudra with each episode showing highly intelligent criminals vs our cop. The first episode quickly reveals all the main faces of Rudra's life - his estranged wife Shaila, portrayed by Esha, his co-worker, his boss played by Ashwini Kalsekar. Then there is Raashii Khanna who makes her OTT debut with the complex yet the intriguing character of Dr Aliyah Choksi, a criminal and super-intelligent person who builds an unusual bond with Rudra.

The screenplay is not as intriguing as we expected but we must add that the story is simple and is an easy watch. So, it manages to grip the audience without giving a headache.

There are some flaws of course in this old-school hero drama with the story being stretched unnecessarily demanding viewers' time with long dialogues. 

The casting job is fantastic. Ajay Devgn, who has carved a niche in the industry, manages to lead the series with his brilliant aura and calmness, and his Rudra version is surely a standout from his other on-screen cop roles like 'Singham' series and 'Gangajal'. Khanna's role is smart, her eyes are shiny and grab your attention every time she comes in the frame, but somewhere her character lacks depth and feels like something is unfinished.

Note-worthy performances are delivered by Atul Kulkarni as a cop and Ashwini Kalsekar as a boss and KC Shankar. Meanwhile, Esha, who has made her way back to acting, is not impressive at all.

All over, Ajay Devgn starrer series is truly an Indian version with ample drama, emotion, thriller. Somewhere the story falters with slow screenplay, stretched episodes and has various flaws, but good casting manages to save the series.

Keeping everything aside, one can watch Rudra for Ajay Devgn.

'Rudra – The Edge of Darkness' is currently streaming on Disney+Hotstar.