Excited to make digital debut with riveting title like ‘Rudra’: Ajay Devgn

PTI

Mumbai, January 29

Bollywood superstar Ajay Devgn, who is making his debut on a streaming platform with “Rudra – The Edge of Darkness”, on Saturday said he is thrilled about his foray into long-format content with a nuanced, multi-faceted character in the show.

The upcoming Disney+ Hotstar VIP crime-drama series is a remake of the Idris Elba-starrer successful British show “Luther”. The Hindi version is billed as an engaging and dark new take on cop stories by the makers, who launched the trailer of the show.

Set in Mumbai, “Rudra-The Edge of Darkness” is a race-against-the-clock thriller that delves into the psyche of highly intelligent criminals and the detective who hunts them.

The 52-year-old star said the OTT medium has fascinated him as an actor and he is looking forward to presenting his debut show “Rudra” to the viewers.

“The world of digital streaming has always fascinated me, and I am excited to make my digital acting debut into long-format content with a riveting character and title such as Rudra,” Devgn said in a statement.

In the show, Devgn essays the character of DCP Rudra Veer Singh, who carries out a steely grit to fight the wrong and uphold the law.

Each episode in the series features a new threat even as the overarching series arc continues, portraying the grave personal cost at which DCP Rudra Veer Singh pursues criminals and killers and the unlikely friendship that he forms with Aliyah, a genius sociopath.

“What enticed me about the character is his nuanced, multi-faceted personality and his grit; something that viewers have never witnessed before at this scale in Indian Entertainment.

“I am elated for my fans and viewers across India to witness the magic of Rudra come alive on screen and I hope they fall in love with the show as intensely as we have worked towards it,” the actor said.

The show is produced by Applause Entertainment in association with BBC Studios India.

Sameer Nair, CEO, Applause Entertainment said they are excited to have got the opportunity to introduce Devgn to the world of streaming.

“It is always exciting for us to collaborate with BBC Studios and that reflects in the great production value of the series. With Rudra, we take forward our creative partnership with industry leader Disney+ Hotstar, and hope to continue entertaining audiences all over the world.” The six-episode series is helmed by director Rajesh Mapuskar, best known for his acclaimed award-winning Marathi language film “Ventilator”.

Mapuskar, who has directed a Hindi movie “Ferrari Ki Sawari” said, “Rudra” spins darker and grimmer tales to the usual cop and crime drama.

“We have a grey hero who believes in living in the dark to discover the truth. The psyche of criminal minds is explored in a never-before-seen manner. The audience takes away some understanding of how the deeply alluring minds of the criminals work.

“I hope the series receives much love and appreciation from the audience,” Mapuskar, who has served as an associate director on “Lage Raho Munna Bhai” and “3 Idiots”, said.

Actors Raashi Khanna, Esha Deol, Atul Kulkarni, Ashwini Kalsekar, Tarun Gahlot, Ashish Vidyarthi, and Satyadeep Misra round the cast of “Rudra – The Edge of Darkness”.

Deol said she is thrilled to have teamed up with Devgn again, who has been her co-star in films “Yuva”, “LOC: Kargil”, “Kaal” and “Cash”.

“It has been a thrilling ride to once again share the screen with my friend & co actor like Ajay Devgn who from day one of our shoot eased me into being back in front of the camera. During the shoot, we were back to sharing the same on-screen chemistry we have had while shooting for our earlier films together and the innumerable pranks too,” she said.

The makers are yet to announce the release date of the show, but the Hotstar Special will be available in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Malayalam and Bengali upon its premiere.

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