RUDRA-The EDGE OF DARKNESS WEBSERIES FREE DOWNLOAD ( HOTSTAR SERIES)

STORY: Set in the Special Crimes Unit of the Mumbai Police, the show is a procedural psychological crime thriller revolving around DCP Rudraveer Singh, who is under the system’s radar despite being one of its best minds at work.

 REVIEW: There’s no formula to deduce what it takes to create an engaging adaptation of a popular show from another country. The makers of Rudra: The Edge of Darkness, an official adaptation of BBC’s Luther have followed one rule: keep it simple and straight. The original was written and created by Neil Cross and headlined by Idris Alba. Ishaan Trivedi, Abbas and Hussain Dalal are in charge of the writing department here. From the three episodes made available for preview, it's evident that the creators have borrowed the basic plotlines from the original episodes, and Indianised the proceedings - simple and easy to follow. Without wasting any time, director Rajesh Mapuskar and team dive deep into the story, right from the first frame. DCP Rudraveer Singh (Ajay Devgn) is reinstated in service after sitting on the bench for seven months. His suspension is temporarily revoked. An officer of the Special Crimes Unit, lead by Deepali Handa (Ashwini Kalsekar), Rudra, as he is addressed in most parts of the show, is known to be one of the most competent hands in the department. Even as every episode has a story of its own, revolving around an extremely intelligent and psychologically-charged criminal, it also, gradually, unravels layers of Rudra’s life which forms a key part of the overarching story for the current season. 

 Without digressing from on-going investigations, each of the first three episodes weaves in a thread from Rudra’s inner circle - his troubled marriage with Shaila (Esha Deol Takhtani), his equations with his seniors, juniors and peers, his passion for the job which comes at the cost of personal losses, and the methods he uses to delve deep into the minds of intelligent and dangerous criminals, often putting himself at risk. The first episode also brings Alia Choksi (Raashi Khanna) into Rudra’s life. She’s a child prodigy, considered a genius in space research and a suspect in a double-murder case. Although Rudra fails to adequately prove her involvement to the world at large, he proves it to her, sparking off an unlikely friendship, spilling into the subsequent episodes. The makers have cautiously made an effort to ensure the adaptation has a life of its own. 

Starting with the dark visual tone and theme song, Tera Inaam, by Ananya Birla, the team builds the show, brick by brick. The episodes, despite their length, hold your attention, at times even grossing you out - a sign of effective writing in a space like this.