Success works in different ways. Mirzapur gave Ali Fazal not only one of his biggest shows, but also the character Guddu Pandit that has become synonymous with him. In contrast, the wide acclaim for his latest series Raakh has given the actor exactly what he needed — the confidence that viewers will accept him in varied roles. “After Guddu, I wondered whether people would accept me in a different space. I needed this,” reflected Fazal.

In Prosit Roy’s crime thriller, the actor plays the “observant and patient” cop Jayprakash Jatav, a starkly different character from Guddu. That difference only prompted him to star in the Prime Video series, which is inspired by the 1978 Ranga-Billa case.