Asur (TV series)

Overview

Asur (subtitled Welcome to Your Dark Side) is an Indian Hindi-language psychological crime thriller web series that explores the intersection of forensic science, mythology, and serial crime. The show is set against the backdrop of the Central Bureau of Investigation's forensic division and draws upon themes from Hindu mythology, particularly the concept of the asura, to construct its central antagonist. It streams on the JioCinema platform (originally launched on Voot Select).

Key facts

Premise

The narrative follows Nikhil Nair, a forensic expert and former CBI officer, and Dhananjay Rajpoot, a senior forensic instructor, as they pursue a meticulous serial killer whose murders are patterned on Hindu scriptural references to the asuras. The investigation interweaves contemporary criminology with philosophical questions about the nature of evil, free will, and predestination, drawing repeatedly from texts such as the Bhagavad Gita and stories from the Puranas.

Cast

• Arshad Warsi as Dhananjay "DJ" Rajpoot
• Barun Sobti as Nikhil Nair
• Anupriya Goenka as Naina Nair
• Sharib Hashmi as Lolark Dubey
• Ridhi Dogra as Nusrat Saeed
• Amey Wagh as Rasool Shaikh
• Vishesh Bansal as Shubh Joshi

Production

The series was created and written by Gaurav Shukla, who developed the screenplay around the idea of pairing forensic procedural investigation with mythological symbolism. Season 1 was directed by Oni Sen and produced under the banner Ding Entertainment. Filming locations included sequences shot in Varanasi, with the city's ghats and ritual landscapes used to anchor the mythological undercurrents of the story.

Season 1

The first season released on 2 March 2020 on Voot Select with eight episodes. It introduces the dual timelines and traces Nikhil's reluctant return to the CBI after the killer's actions intersect with his personal life.

Season 2

The second season premiered on 1 June 2023 on JioCinema, following the migration of Voot Select content to the platform. It continues the cat-and-mouse pursuit, expanding the antagonist's reach and exploring questions about cyclical evil and inherited darkness.

Reception

Asur was widely noted by Indian critics and audiences for its atypical combination of forensic procedural storytelling with theological and philosophical material, a pairing relatively uncommon in mainstream Hindi web content at the time of its release. The performances of Arshad Warsi, in a departure from his comic-leading roles, and Barun Sobti were singled out in critical commentary. The series became one of the more discussed Hindi-language streaming releases of 2020 and led to anticipation for its second season.

Significance

The show is often cited in discussions of Indian streaming-era thrillers for blending genre conventions of the Western serial-killer procedural with indigenous mythological frameworks. It also marked a shift for Voot Select's original content slate, demonstrating the platform's investment in long-form genre dramas alongside competitors such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+ Hotstar.

Related topics

• Indian web series
• Voot
• JioCinema
• Arshad Warsi
• Barun Sobti
• Hindi television
• Asura
• Central Bureau of Investigation

References

• Official series listing, JioCinema.
• Press materials and interviews issued by Ding Entertainment at the time of the show's releases.
• Contemporary reviews in Indian publications covering the 2020 and 2023 premieres.