Esha Deol Takhtani started her journey in Bollywood 20 years ago, and did a variety of movies – from romantic and comedy to action (she was one of Dhoom gals in the first of the series), but then, when she thought it was the right time, she took a pause. Stepping back from the limelight, she tied the knot and had two lovely babies. Now, she is back, featuring in interesting parts in web shows. She shares with us what has been the most adventurous phase in her life and what lies ahead.

While some are averse to terms like comeback and sabbatical, Esha has no qualms about them. She shares, “This is my second innings and I don’t have a problem saying so. It’s just a term and I don’t take it too seriously. These are minor things for me to spend too much time contemplating. I am here to work yaar. For me, it was very important to have babies at the right time. If you constantly worry and doubt your decisions, you won’t enjoy what you are doing. It’s equally important to maintain yourself, look good and stay disciplined.”

The actress who was recently appreciated for her roles in shows like Rudra - The Edge Of Darkness and Hunter Tootega Nahi Todega says, “I am glad to be a part of the industry during this time. The new-age content being made today has eliminated the element of insecurity amongst female artistes in my age group. There is good work for everyone. We are doing it better because we are wiser now. When a woman settles down and becomes a mother toh ek thehraav aa jaata hai hai”

In my 20s, I was restless and reckless. Today, I am grounded and lead an anchored life. I did pretty much everything that a 20-year-old girl would do. That was one of the most adventurous and fun phases of my life.

Esha says that now she wants to move on from the kind of roles that she played at the beginning of her career. “I can’t take up roles that do not align with my mindset and personality. I have played my fair share of teeny-bopper roles. Some girls are still doing those roles because it suits them and they enjoy doing it. However, I can’t do that now. I have evolved in terms of my sensibilities. So, I prefer taking up roles that resonate with me today and impart a strong message. As a strong woman, I gravitate towards characters that reflect my personality,” she explains.

From the start of her career, Esha has faced comparisons with her mom, the OG Dream Girl, Hema Malini, but that didn’t deter her from her goals. “Soon after the release of my debut film, Koi Mere Dil Se Poochhe (2002), I was compared to my mother, who has done more than 200 films. At that time, the discussion around nepotism was not as prevalent. Eventually, I realized that if I allowed these comparisons to affect me, it would be better not to be in this profession. It took me a while to come to terms with it and accept that there was no escaping it. Acting is a profession that really toughens you up. Most of us have become tough nuts, and you won’t be able to crack us (laughs!).”

Raashii Khanna’s villainous turn in the web series Rudra - The Edge Of Darkness has not just startled viewers, but her too. The actor admits she had her share of apprehensions about how audiences may react to her avatar, considering how she’s mostly done goody-goody roles.

“My character was very grey. Even though you want to play other roles, the Indian milieu will judge you and they can really hate you. So somewhere inside me, I was like if they hate me, I will have to overcome it by probably making them love me in some [other] way,” she says.

The 31-year-old adds that taking up the role was definitely a risk, but something she was game to face. “It was very risky to play a girl like her, and enter the Hindi space with that character. I am quite a risk taker that way. I was waiting for a role like this. You get bored of playing the same pretty girl being loved, and not really making a mark, apart from love stories. It’s very rare that you get to play a character like mine...We, actors, are nothing without risks.” she asserts.

Set to be seen next alongside actor Shahid Kapoor in the upcoming web show directed by Raj and DK, as well as Yodha opposite actor Sidharth Malhotra, Khanna says the response to her performance in Rudra has not really sunk in.

“I am in Zen mode. I am constantly shooting, so I don’t think I have had the time to look at it. My family and friends are shocked. They have already seen me in South films, where I was always the girl-next-door, but suddenly they went, ‘Oh my God’ after seeing me as a vamp. It was great coming from them. Even while watching the show, I myself couldn’t believe I did that. That’s not who I am,” she says, adding, “The only way you can grow as an actor is by pushing boundaries. I am on the correct path. Even my directors in Yodha said that I look completely different.”

One would assume that luring Ajay Devgn to invest in a series, when he can wrap up four movies in the same period, was difficult. But producer Sameer Nair of Applause Entertainment — which has created Rudra: The Edge of Darkness, the Indian adaptation of popular British series Luther — busts the myth. “Ajay was the only one we approached. He was familiar with Luther’s universe. The character is dark, melancholic and has a smouldering vibe. No one can ace it like him. Ajay agreeing to do any show at all for a streaming platform was a big deal. A lot of credit for Rudra goes to Ajay. Everyone was called at 9 am on the first day of the shoot. He came at 8:30 am, and centred everyone’s energies to focus purely on the show,” says the creator.

The Disney+ Hotstar series, which drops online today, has been reimagined in Mumbai and was shot from July to December last year in live locations. Working with a superstar in a non-studio set-up wasn’t easy. Couple that with the Coronavirus pandemic, and Nair agrees it was an uphill task. “We were to start shooting in October 2020. That shifted to January 2021, then to April 2021. We finally started in July. The waiting periods were spent in enriching the material. We had three dialogue drafts. Jay Bansal [writer] added some cheek to the final draft. We storyboarded thoroughly with Rajesh [Mapuskar, director] and his DoP [director of photography]. It’s an introspective show. There are less moments of flamboyance, but at the same time, it is massy.”

Nair has been the mind behind many adaptations, including Criminal Justice and Hostages. He doesn’t view remakes from the prism of creative bankruptcy. “A large part of Indian audience has not seen Forrest Gump [1998]. For them, Laal Singh Chaddha will be a fresh film,” he argues.

The producer, however, asserts that reimagining the story is key to its success. “We adapt the original plot to a new culture, and reimagination plays a key role in establishing fresh context. In Rudra, we explore how cops and the legal system work in India. I did an adaptation 22 years ago with Kaun Banega Crorepati. The approach has to be: This is a great idea, which can be retold for a different audience.”

As soon as he came on board as the director of Rudra: The Edge of Darkness, Rajesh Mapuskar knew he had a delicious challenge ahead of him. With Ajay Devgn leading the cast of the Indian adaptation of Idris Elba’s Luther, he had to ensure that the narrative was steeped in the sub-culture of Mumbai. “When I was offered the show, I knew I didn’t want to sign up for a cut-and-paste job. Everything, from the characters to the nature of the crime, had to be tailored to the local sub-culture,” he begins.

The director did so by making Mumbai almost a character, not a mere backdrop, in the Disney+ Hotstar offering. “We used the same locations — say, Asiatic Library and Gateway of India — but we explored them from new angles to capture the sinister side of the city.”

The popular British crime series has spawned Korean, Russian and French adaptations over the years. With the Indian remake joining the list, Mapuskar says he deliberately decided to step out of the shadow of the original, treating it as a new story altogether.

“I have watched all the versions. The show is British in terms of writing, but with each version, comes a new flavour. I had never done an adaptation before. I wanted to know how the makers treated the character that is so famous. It was educational for me. The learning that stayed with me was that we have to forget Idris and Luther while making the show. Through the past year, I have not thought of the original at all. To me, Rudra is a new show with a new character.”

It helps that they found someone as dependable as Devgn to headline the project, alongside Atul Kulkarni, Esha Deol and Raashii Khanna. “Idris is an extrovert; his moves are visible. Mr Devgn is calm on the outside and can contain a storm within. We approached our [protagonist] differently — how he speaks, how he stands. I like to follow my actors and not over-direct, unless they are going away from the narrative. Ajay has done this completely by himself,” says the director, who has also helmed the second season of Delhi Crime.

When we get on a call with Raashii Khanna, who is promoting her upcoming show Rudra - The Edge Of Darkness, our conversation begins on an unusual subject — luck versus hard work. In 2022, the actor has three marquee projects. She kicks off the year with the crime thriller that marks Ajay Devgn’s OTT debut, before moving on to Raj-DK (Raj Nidimoru, Krishna DK)’s series headlined by Shahid Kapoor and Vijay Sethupathi. She will round off the year with Sidharth Malhotra and Disha Patani’s Yodha.

So what’s the secret that is propelling her in the right direction — luck or hard work? “It is luck,” she says, without skipping a beat. “Now, I often hear people say, ‘Arre, yeh kahan se kahan pahuch gayi.’ I am working hard but that’s not just it. I have so many actor friends who are trying to get roles, but opportunities aren’t coming their way. Personally, I am hard on myself. I want to utilise every day to the fullest so that when I look back, I have the assurance that I gave it my best.”

The actor began her chapter in showbiz with Madras Cafe in 2013. In the nine years since, Khanna has not featured in another Hindi film, instead making her presence felt in the south movie industry. “I didn’t get the kind of roles I wanted to do in Bollywood. In the south also, it wasn’t a smooth sail initially. There was an entire year when I did nothing. I didn’t want to sign up for films that wouldn’t do anything for me. I have always been a secure actor, and I didn’t view Bollywood as a destination. I decided that I will do Bollywood only when the role is that good.”

The Disney+ Hotstar series, which is an official adaptation of the British crime drama Luther, delivered on that count. Khanna reprises the role essayed by Ruth Wilson in the original, a sociopath helping Devgn’s cop character to understand the crimes. “I didn’t want to watch Luther. I wanted to create the character of Aaliyah all by myself, without taking any inspiration from the original. I play a sociopath, and most crime films we watch are based on psychopaths. There’s a world of difference between the two. Sociopaths have emotions. I watched Hannibal [2001] and read psychology books to create the character. I auditioned alongside over 200 people. This is a role that doesn’t need a pretty face to fill a space, doesn’t need a star. After so many years, someone said, ‘Chalo act karke dikhao.’”

What does she hope to achieve with this show? She takes a pause before saying, “I don’t want to be known for my face and my body. I want to be a solid actor whose versatility should be remembered. An actor is defined by what their audience thinks of them. I want to be known for holding people’s attention in good parts.”

She credits leading man Devgn for being a pillar of strength. “Before I started the show, I was told he doesn’t talk much. We needed to vibe, given the chemistry between our characters on paper. There is a war of belief systems between Aaliyah and Rudra. I remember when I walked in on day one, he was so warm and kind. We spoke about our lines and how they should be done. We all relied on Ajay sir a lot.”

Ajay Devgn’s digital debut is built on a solid foundation — Rudra: The Edge of Darkness is an official adaptation of the popular British television series, Luther. For a crime thriller that focuses as much on the antagonists as it does on the quick-thinking protagonist, casting director Kavish Sinha (below) says roping in the right actors was crucial. “Casting for the villains was a big challenge,” says Sinha of the series that stars Esha Deol-Takhtani, Atul Kulkarni and Raashii Khanna, among others.

While Devgn and Deol were part of the project from the beginning, the casting director was given the responsibility of building the supporting cast. “When you have powerful actors on board, you have to cast an equally strong ensemble cast. Raashii auditioned with the director [Rajesh Mapuskar], along with the other cast members, including Atul, Ashwini [Kalsekar] and Ashish [Vidyarthi]. Rudra [focuses on] the villains as each episode [studies] a different crime and criminal. The [actors who played] criminals had to be as powerful performers as Ajay. Sameer Nair [of Applause Entertainment] and BBC were supportive about getting new actors,” says Sinha, who also worked on the casting of Rocket Boys.

The brief given by Mapuskar was simple: Even though the series was inspired by a British offering, Rudra had to be desi in its essence. Sinha says, “Rajesh wanted to capture the essence of Mumbai through the series. When I read Rudra episodes, I realised it isn’t similar to [Luther], [save for] his relationships with those around him. We have Indianised it for the audience here. So, I never asked any of the actors I auditioned to watch Luther.”

Ever since Rudra: The Edge of Darkness was announced in April, it has become a keenly awaited offering. The series not only marks Ajay Devgn’s foray into digital entertainment, but is also the official adaptation of Idris Elba’s much-loved crime drama, Luther. After shooting some portions in different pockets of the city, the team began filming an elaborate stretch at Ellora Studios in Mira Road last week.

A unit hand reveals that Devgn, who plays a cop on the show, is sporting a distinct look. “The unit has about 100 people on set every day. Taking into account the nature of the series, producers BBC Studios and Applause Entertainment are maintaining a strict no-phone policy on set. The actor has allotted all of his November and early December dates to the project. Some of the key sequences will be shot over the next few weeks, including an elaborate action set-piece,” says the source.

The Disney+ Hotstar offering also features Esha Deol Takhtani and Raashii Khanna in pivotal roles.

Raashi Khanna, who has established herself in the south film industry, is making waves in Hindi entertainment. The actor not only bagged Raj-DK’s yet-untitled web series with Shahid Kapoor earlier in the year, but also recently came on board Ajay Devgn’s maiden web outing, Rudra - The Edge Of Darkness. “I auditioned for Rudra, and got the part on the basis of that,” she says.

The advent of OTT has brought about many changes in the industry. Khanna says the resurgence of the audition culture, in particular, has been beneficial to artistes. “Bagging a role through the process of audition builds your confidence; it [instils faith] in your craft. [The idea of] stardom is dying down. Now, we need to prove ourselves as actors. The OTT wave is giving opportunities to actors who have been sitting patiently and waiting for work.”

The Disney+ Hotstar series, which also stars Esha Deol, marks Khanna’s first project with Devgn. She heaps praise on her co-star, “He has an aura. Every time he walks in, he commands respect because he has extensive knowledge about filmmaking. I have learnt so much from him.”

Ever since her acting debut with Koi Mere Dil Se Poochhe in 2002, Esha Deol had been very active in the 2000s. Every subsequent year saw multiple releases with her, but since 2011, the actor cut down on the number of projects she took up. Ask her why, and she admits it was to focus on her personal life.

“It was conscious on my part. I sort of wanted to settle down with Bharat (Takhtani, husband) and start a family. I fell in love and was enjoying that so much. Then I went the family way, and when your babies are young, everything requires your attention. You have to do the right things at the right time,” Deol shares.

That said, the 39-year-old also believes in the sentiment of “once an actor, always an actor”. She is all set to make her comeback with Ajay Devgn in his web debut, Rudra - The Edge Of Darkness. “Working again with Ajay is something I look forward to,” gushes the actor, who has shared screen space with him in movies such as Kaal (2005), Yuva (2004) and Main Aisa Hi Hoon (2005). “Ajay was very happy when he got to know about me coming on board, and told me he’s really glad I am back to work,” adds Deol.

She has also ventured into production with Ek Duaa, which was released directly on an OTT platform recently. She says the step towards turning a producer occurred naturally. “I was offered the script to act, but I was really moved by the story. I felt just acting in a film like this was not going to satisfy me. I thought ‘what if I could produce it’, and that’s how it happened,” she ends.

Ever since Rudra - The Edge Of Darkness was announced in April, it has become a keenly awaited offering. After all, it not only marks Ajay Devgn’s foray into digital entertainment, but is also the official adaptation of Idris Elba’s much-loved crime drama, Luther. Now, it has come to light that Esha Deol Takhtani, who has been missing from the big screen since her 2011 offering Tell Me O Kkhuda, is set to resume her place in front of the camera with the Disney+ Hotstar series.

Her joy is palpable as she returns to her first love — acting. “I am excited to be back at work, especially alongside Ajay. We have been co-stars in numerous movies. There is a comfort level between us,” says Deol, who had teamed up with Devgn on Yuva (2004), Kaal (2005) and Cash (2007), among other films. 

She is tight-lipped about her role in the Rajesh Mapuskar-directed offering that will be shot across Mumbai, only willing to share her excitement about exploring the long-format storytelling. “I am thrilled to make my digital debut with Rudra. The script charged me up,” she adds.