EXCLUSIVE: “In many ways, Ajay Devgn was our only choice”- Sameer Nair, CEO Applause Entertainment, on working with the superstar in Rudra- The Edge of Darkness

Superstar Ajay Devgn is all set to step into the digital world with his debut in Disney+ Hotstar’s web series Rudra- The Edge of Darkness. The actor who will be reprising the role of Idris Elba from the original series Luther will be seen in an intense cop role, which is said to be different from any of the cop roles he has done before on the big screen. In a conversation with Bollywood Hungama, Sameer Nair, CEO of Applause Entertainment, who is producing the show said that Ajay Devgn was their only choice for the show, and had he said no, they would have had to take a completely different approach.

 

EXCLUSIVE: “In many ways, Ajay Devgn was our only choice”- Sameer Nair, CEO Applause Entertainment, on working with the superstar in Rudra- The Edge of Darkness

 

"I think from the start, we were quite keen that it should be Ajay because the role is of a brooding, melancholic, smoldering kind of character. It's a very intense drama, and it needs a very intense actor. I think in many ways, Ajay was our only choice in that sense. So if he had said no, then that would have been a different kind of approach to the series. But luckily, he had seen the show himself. He was also quite keen to do it and he knew the universe, he knew what he was going to be stepping into. So that sort of worked out quite well," said Nair.

 

Ajay has played a cop on screen multiple times with his cop act as Singham making him a household name and popular among the kids as well. However, Nair said that Ajay has been presented in a very different light as DCP Rudra. “As far as cops go, Ajay has done cop roles before, but this is a darker, edgier cop. It's not as safe, flamboyant as a Singham would be. And this is more underplayed, more intense, more brooding. The way the series is done is that it's not like your typical Hindi picture or South picture, over-the-top drama. In our case, it tends to be more underplayed. It’s more about the performance. I think Ajay sort of suits it really well,” he said.

 

Nair is also all praise for Devgn's professionalism which helped them complete the series in time despite the delay caused by the pandemic. “He's been a delight to work with and he's a complete professional. I had such a good experience working with him right from the first day of shoot. It was a nine o'clock shift, he came at 8.30 ready to go. So I think that also in a way, sort of set the pace for everyone, that here's how we are going to do it. And he is extremely professional, always on time, not wasting time. So I think that also then became a thing for the whole crew, our director Rajesh Mapuskar, our DOP Sanjay Memane, everyone from team Applause, BBC, and all the co-actors all fell in sort of steps with that.”

 

Ajay Devgn had signed the series in early 2020, long before the web series format had gained massive popularity in the country. However, owing to the pandemic, the shoot was delayed and eventually began in July 2021.

 

Spanning across six episodes, the series directed by Rajesh Mapuskar has been shot across multiple unique locations in Mumbai and reimagines the city from the lens of the country’s most wanted.  Produced by Applause Entertainment in association with BBC Studios India, the crime drama features a stellar cast including Raashi Khanna, Esha Deol, Atul Kulkarni, Ashwini Kalsekar, Tarun Gahlot, Ashish Vidyarthi, and Satyadeep Misra in pivotal roles.

 

ALSO READ: Ashwini Kalsekar on working with Ajay Devgn in Rudra- The Edge of Darkness- “Raja aadmi hai ye, Dil ka Raja hai,acting ka, har cheez ka Raja hai”

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