What Ajay Devgn’s “Rudra” means for the OTT industry in India

Superstar Ajay Devgn is back in action and this time on the streaming platform to weave his magic. The trailer of his upcoming OTT series titled ‘Rudra: The Edge of Darkness’ dropped last week on Saturday (January 29) and since then, it has garnered over 26 million views on YouTube alone. The series is an official remake of the British series ‘Luther’ starring Idris Elba.

The actor with his phenomenal acting chops looks at the top of his game in the trailer, portraying a daring yet complicated character of a police officer, who sometimes meanders surreptitiously towards the dark side.

The actor took to his Twitter account to share the trailer as well. He tweeted, “The line between light and the darkness… that’s where I live. #Rudra coming soon on @DisneyPlusHS”

Netizens call Rudra an instant blockbuster

The netizens, awestruck by the trailer quickly dubbed it a future blockbuster. One of the netizens remarked, “All the very best @ajaydevgn sir for the digital debut with powerful and intense #Rudra avatar Between Light and darkness… you are gonna SHINE. Can’t wait!”

While another one stated, “Damn. This looks super interesting n intriguing. Anyway, Ajay Devgan never disappoints with scripts he chooses #RudraTrailer”

 Project was announced last year

As reported by TFI, the project was announced last year in April, amid much fanfare and anticipation from the public. Devgn at the time of the announcement had remarked, “My attempt has always been to tell unique stories and work with good talent. The idea is to raise the bar of entertainment in India. The digital world excites me, and I am looking forward to working with Applause and BBC to bring this series to life on Disney Hotstar VIP.”

Read More: Ajay Devgn will mark his entry into the OTTverse with the official adaptation of Luther 

Devgn who has previously played a cop in movies such as Singham and Gangaajal further added that the character was going to be much more intense in his debut OTT series.

Ajay had stated, “Rudra – The Edge of Darkness is a compelling and highly intriguing story and I can’t wait to begin this new journey! Playing a cop on screen is not new to me, but this time the character is more intense, complex and dark. What drew me most to his persona, is that he is possibly the greyest character you may come across in recent times,”

Rudra has the international feel to it

And by the looks of the trailer, Ajay has certainly gone into uncharted territory with his character. Devgn has once again donned the mannerism of a cop like a duck takes to water. Comparisons are being drawn between Alba’s and Devgn’s portrayal already.

Idris Alba has won a Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice Awards for his portrayal of the flawed officer. And if the trailer is any indication, Ajay may be gearing up for sweeping the award functions next year.

The high production value

The production value of ‘Rudra’ looks simply top-notch and the background score creates just the right amount of tension that a noir-crime genre needs.

The series has been shot in iconic locales of Mumbai, with the production being helmed by Applause Entertainment in association with BBC Studios India.

The cast of ‘Rudra – The Edge of Darkness’ includes actors Raashi Khanna, Esha Deol, Atul Kulkarni, Ashwini Kalsekar, Tarun Gahlot, Ashish Vidyarthi, and Satyadeep Misra.

Hotstar may have edged Netflix out of the OTT wars by snaffling Devgn

With great production value and intriguing set pieces, Rudra can be the much-needed game-changer for the OTT sector in India. Over the last few years, the sector has got stagnated with the cuss-words-ridden, stereotypical portrayal of Poorvanchal and its myriad gangster stories.

Netflix may not have aced the Indian market but Hotstar, by fetching one of the biggest names in the Bollywood industry to its platform has presumably opened the flood gates for other established names to follow.

Ajay Devgn — a true trailblazer

Devgn has always been a trailblazer and by venturing into the OTT space first, he has once again shown the same. In a career spanning almost three decades, Ajay has done it all. He began with action films like Jigar, Sangram, Vijaypath, Suhaag, Diljale etc., wherein he not only performed mind-boggling, unbelievable action stunts but also set the cash registers ringing in terms of box office revenues.

With movies like Najayaz and Diljale, Ajay Devgn proved that he is an intense actor as well. The front seat audience determines the stardom of a star because that’s where all the claps and whistles come from. By 1995, Ajay Devgn had become the heartthrob for the front seat audience.

Read more: From Phool Aur Kaante to Tanhaji – Ajay Devgn the only Star who is also an actor

Since then, Devgn has constantly revitalized himself by taking on new challenges, donning the hat of a producer and director in the middle as well. Devgn’s 100th film, as well as his most coveted project, ‘Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior’, had set the box office ablaze with its resounding success.

The film had won the hearts of audiences and critics alike and earned a whopping total of more than Rs. 190 crores domestically, and a mind-boggling total of Rs. 251 crores [approximately] worldwide.

Read More: After Tanhaji, these are the few legends of Hindu history that Ajay Devgn must portray on screen 

Rudra’s release date hasn’t been announced yet but given the anticipation already, the production house would be buoyed to complete the post-production at the earliest and roll out the series for the audience, as soon as possible.