''Rangbaaz'' is an Indian web series set against the rustic background of the

Gorakhpur Gorakhpur is a city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, along the banks of the Rapti river in the Purvanchal region. It is situated 272 kilometers east of the state capital Lucknow. It is the administrative headquarters of Gorakhpur dist ...

in the 1990s. It was released as a

ZEE5 ZEE5 is an Indian subscription video on-demand and over-the-top streaming service, run by Zee Entertainment Enterprises. It was launched in India on 14 February 2018 with content in 12 languages. The ZEE5 mobile app is available on Web, Androi ...

original on 22 December 2018. In October 2019, ZEE5 renewed the show for a second season, ''Rangbaaz Phirse'', which premiered on 20 December 2019. Season three of Rangbaaz title Rangbaaz: Darr Ki Rajneeti premiered on

on 29 July 2022.

Synopsis

Season 1 Rangbaaz is based on the true story of

Shri Prakash Shukla Shri Prakash Shukla was an Indian killer active during the 1990's mainly in the state of Uttar Pradesh (UP). He was killed on 22 September 1998 in an encounter with the UP police's Special Task Force (India), Special Task Force. He was about 25 a ...

(Shiv Prakash Shukla in the series), who was a notorious gangster and the most wanted criminal of

Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh Gorakhpur is a city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, along the banks of the Rapti river in the Purvanchal region. It is situated 272 kilometers east of the state capital Lucknow. It is the administrative headquarters of Gorakhpur dist ...

. The series shows his journey from a DDU student to becoming the second most wanted criminal in India. Other characters related to Shree Prakash's life include Ram Shankar Tiwari, inspired by

Hari Shankar Tiwari Hari Shankar Tiwari is an Indian gangster and politician from Gorakhpur in eastern Uttar Pradesh. Tiwari was a member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly from the village Tanda, Chillupar in Gorakhpur district. Politics Tiwari was the fir ...

, and Chandra Bhan Singh, inspired by Suraj Bhan Singh (former MP from Mokama, Bihar). Season 2 ''Rangbaaz Phir Se'' is inspired from the life of

Anandpal Singh Anand Pal Singh (31 May 1975 – 24 June 2017) was an Indian gangster mainly active in the cities of Rajasthan. He was a most-wanted gangster with a reward of ₹10 lakh on his head. He was accused of multiple murders as well as extortion. H ...

(name changed to Amarpal Singh) who was a gangster active in the state of Rajasthan. The series chronicles his rise to becoming the most wanted criminal in the history of Rajasthan. The story also covers his business of illicit liquor, his rivalry with Gopal Phogawat (name changed to Raja Phogat), and his dynamics with the political leadership of the state. Season 3 '' Rangbaaz: Darr Ki Rajneeti'' Season 3 has premiered on 29 July 2022 on

starring

Vineet Kumar Singh Vineet Kumar Singh (born 28 August 1978) is an Indian actor and writer known for his strong portrayal of an aspiring boxer Shravan Kumar Singh in Mukkabaaz (2018). A M.D. in Ayurveda from Government Medical College and Hospital, Nagpur, Vineet ...

and

Aakanksha Singh Aakanksha Singhis an Indian actress who primarily works in Telugu and Hindi films and television. She started her career with theatre and made her acting debut with the television series ''Na Bole Tum Na Maine Kuch Kaha'' (2012–2014). She ma ...

. The story of the main character is supposedly based on a Gangster turned politician

Mohammad Shahabuddin Mohammad Shahabuddin (10 May 1967 – 1 May 2021) was a politician and former Member of Parliament from the Siwan constituency in the state of Bihar. He was a former member of the National Executive Committee of the Janata Dal and the Rasht ...

Cast

Season 1

Saqib Saleem Saqib Saleem Qureshi (; born 8 April 1988) is an Indian film actor and model who works in the Hindi film industry. He worked as a model before beginning his film career. After moving to Mumbai, Saqib appeared in several advertisements. While do ...

as Shiv Prakash Shukla (inspired by

). *

Tigmanshu Dhulia Tigmanshu Dhulia (born 3 July 1967) is an Indian film dialogue writer, director, actor, screenwriter, producer and casting director known for his works in Hindi cinema and Television. He wrote the dialogue for the 1998 film '' Dil Se..'', the f ...

as Ram Shankar Tiwari (inspired by

). *

Ranvir Shorey Ranvir Shorey is an Indian actor and former VJ who works in Hindi films and television. Since making his debut in ''Ek Chhotisi Love Story'' (2002), he has starred in a number of high-profile films such as '' Jism'' (2003) and '' Lakshya'' (2 ...

as Sidharth Pandey - Special Task Force Lead *

Aahana Kumra Aahana Kumra is an Indian feature film, television, and theatre actress. Kumra is known for her small screen debut in Sony Entertainment Television's '' Yudh'' with Amitabh Bachchan and also for her lead role in the TV series '' Agent Raghav - ...

as Babita Sharma * Jay Saumik Joshi as Abhishek *

Ravi Kishan Ravi Kishan Shukla (; born 17 July 1969), popularly known as Ravi Kishan, is an Indian actor, politician, film producer and television personality. He currently serves as Member of parliament, Lok Sabha from Gorakhpur. His film works are predo ...

as Chandra Bhan Singh (inspired by

Surajbhan Singh Surajbhan Singh is an Indian politician and former Member of Parliament. He was born in Bhumihar family. He was elected to the parliament from Bihar contesting on a ticket from Lok Janshakti Party (LJP). Currently he is debarred from contesting ...

) * Arun Kalra as Narendra Shahi (inspired by Virendra Shahi) *

Chandan Anand Chandan K Anand (born 23 October 1980) is a Mumbai based actor and a certified Reiki practitioner. He was born in New Delhi and has his hometown in New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the N ...

as Ranjan Tiwari *

Pawan Chopra Pawan Chopra is an Indian actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and televisio ...

as Director General of Police - UP * Bharat Chawla as Sushant * Saurabh Goyal as Host of

India's Most Wanted ''India's Most Wanted'' (IMW) was a crime busting fugitive hunter television show initially on Zee TV and later on DD1, India's national broadcaster Doordarshan. The show was made famous by its Anchor-Director and Producer, Suhaib Ilyasi w ...

(inspired by Suhaib Ilyasi) * Gaurav Mishra as Munna Shukla * Ankur B. Saraiya as Bangkok Goon *

Daya Shankar Pandey Daya Shankar Pandey (born 19 November 1965) is an Indian film and television actor. He has acted in a number of Hindi movies like ''Lagaan'' (2001), ''Gangaajal'' (2003), ''Swades'' (2004) and ''Raajneeti'' (2010). He began his career with the ...

as Mahavir * Ajay Singh as Morena Vidhayak * Atul Pandey as Tanuj Pratap Singh

Season 2 / Rangbaaz Phirse

Jimmy Shergill Jimmy Sheirgill (born Jasjit Singh Gill; 3 December 1970), also credited as Jimmy Shergill, is an Indian actor and film producer who works in Hindi and Punjabi films. Sheirgill began his film career with the 1996 thriller ''Maachis''. His bre ...

as Amar Pal Singh (inspired by

) *

Sharad Kelkar Sharad Kelkar (born 7 October 1976) is an Indian film actor and voice artist from Mumbai, Maharashtra. He works primarly in Hindi films, Marathi films. Kelkar has appeared as lead in television serials for brief period of time, now he do web se ...

as Raja Phogat *

Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub Mohammad Zeeshan Ayyub Khan is an Indian actor who appears in Hindi films. He is frequently cast in supporting roles, and has appeared in more than 25 films in a career which has spanned eight years. He has also worked in a Hindi serial "Kyunk ...

as Sanjay Singh Meena *

Mahima Makwana Mahima Makwana (born 5 August 1999) is an Indian actress who works in television shows as well as Hindi and Telugu language films. After entering television with ''Miley Jab Hum Tum'' and ''Balika Vadhu'' as a child artist, Makwana rose to prom ...

as Vaishali 'Chiku' Singh, Amar Pal's daughter *

Gul Panag Gul Panag (born Gulkirat Kaur Panag, 3 January 1979; Chandigarh, India) is an Indian actress, voice actress, model, and former beauty queen who competed in the Miss Universe pageant. Panag began her career in Bollywood with the 2003 film '' Dho ...

as Anupriya (inspired by Anuradha Chaudhary) *

Sushant Singh Sushant Singh (born 9 March 1972) is an Indian character actor, television actor, author and Television presenter, presenter known for his works predominantly in Hindi cinema, and Telugu cinema. He made his screen debut in 1998 with Ram Gopal V ...

as Jai Ram Godara (inspired by Jeevan Godara) *

Harsh Chhaya Harsh Chhaya is an Indian actor. He debuted in a minor role as "Jijo" in the early 1990s Zee TV series '' Tara'', but first came into prominence in the role of Krishnakant Trivedi (KT) in mid 1990s TV series ''Hasratein'', where he portrayed t ...

as Sundar Singh Chauhan *

Chetan Pandit Chetan Pandit is an Indian Bollywood film and television actor. He played the role of Jayaprakash Narayan in the Prakash Jha-directed film '' Loknayak'' in 2004. Filmography Film Television * ''Punar Vivah'' as Suraj Pratap Sindhia * ''Kahi ...

as Home Minister Ahlawat *

Amit Sial Amit Sial (born 1 July 1975) is an Indian actor who primarily works in Hindi cinema. He has also worked in various series like Maharani, Jamtara - Sabka Number Ayega, Kathmandu Connection and Inside Edge. Early and personal life He mov ...

as Balram Rathi (inspired by balvir banuda) *

Spruha Joshi Spruha Joshi (born 13 October 1989) is an Indian television, film, and theatre actress, the television anchor who works in the Marathi film and television industry. She is also a poet and lyricist for films. Early life and education Spruha Joshi ...

as Rukmini, wife of Amar Pal *

Sonam Arora Sonam is a given name. It is a Tibetan name meaning "merit" (). Separately, it is also a name in various Indo-Aryan languages (Devanagari script: ). People with this name include: Buddhism * Sönam Choklang, 2nd Panchen Lama (1438–1505) * Sona ...

as Madhu Godavari, wife of Jai Ram *

Ujjwal Chopra Ujjawal Chopra is an Indian Bollywood and television actor. He played the character of Gora Singh in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's ''Padmaavat'', and as Solanki in ''Special 26 ''Special 26'' is an Indian Hindi-language 2013 period heist thrill ...

as Harjiram

Season 3 / Rangbaaz Dar ki Raajneeti

Third season of the show is set to premiere on

platform on 29 July 2022. The season's story is loosely based on Gangster turned politician

from

Bihar Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West Be ...

. *

Viineet Kumar Vineet Kumar Singh (born 28 August 1978) is an Indian actor and writer known for his strong portrayal of an aspiring boxer Shravan Kumar Singh in Mukkabaaz (2018). A M.D. in Ayurveda from Government Medical College and Hospital, Nagpur, Vineet ...

as Shah Ali Baig: Sana's husband *

as Sana: Shah Ali Baig's wife *

Vijay Maurya Vijay Maurya is an Indian actor, writer and director who works in Hindi films and theatre. He is best known for his work in the 2019 Hindi musical film ''Gully Boy.'' Early life Maurya was born and raised in Mumbai, Maharashtra. His brother, A ...

Prashant Narayanan Prashant Narayanan is an Indian actor, known for his roles in films like ''Waisa Bhi Hota Hai Part II'', '' Shadows of Time'', '' Bombil and Beatrice'', ''Via Darjeeling'' and '' Murder 2''. He also worked in the telefilm ''Ek Tamanna''. His br ...

Rajesh Tailang Rajesh Tailang is an Indian actor. He is best known to international audiences for his role in '' Siddharth'', for which he garnered a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Actor at the 2nd Canadian Screen Awards.Geetanjali Kulkarni Geetanjali Kulkarni is an Indian actress who works in Marathi Cinema and in Hindi cinema. She has received three Filmfare Awards. Accolades Filmography *2004 - Aga Bai Arrecha! *2014 - Ragini MMS 2 *2014 - Court *2015 - P Se PM Tak *2016 ...

* Prateek Srivastava * Teetu Verma as Dinesh Singh

Episodes

Season 1

Season 2 / Rangbaaz Phirse

Sequel Spin-off

After the successful run of first season,

announced a spin-off sequel for the show, titled "Rangbaaz Phirse"

Reception

Rangbaaz

The New Indian Express ''The New Indian Express'' is an Indian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper published by the Chennai-based Express Publications. It was founded in 1932 as ''The Indian Express'', under the ownership of Chennai-based P. Varadarajulu Naid ...

rated with 3/5 stars and critically reviewed the series by saying it had nothing out of the ordinary about the crime and criminals story. The lead actor performed well in his role as a gangster in making. The film relied so much on the film songs of the era to create a particular mood for the storyline which was a bit tiresome.

Rangbaaz Phirse

Binged gave a rating of 6/10 stars to ''Rangbaaz Phirse'' and critically reviewed the actors performances. They also stated that the series fails to display a larger than life gangster profile. Moreover, the direction of the series makes it look quite authentic when capturing expressions and other important scenes. Throughout the nine episodes the rise and fall of its protagonist is portrayed dramatically in impressive detail.

Hindustan Times ''Hindustan Times'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper based in Delhi. It is the flagship publication of HT Media, an entity controlled by the KK Birla family, and is owned by Shobhana Bhartia. It was founded by Sunder Singh Lyall ...

gave a review about the series saying that the webseries focuses on the rural heartlands plagued by the caste hierarchy. The storyline revolves around gruesome tit-for-tat that leads to numerous murders involving bystanders, politicians and cops, serving their own agendas. The cast in the film gave great performances and did justice to their roles.

References

External links

''Rangbaaz''
on

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rangbaaz 3_(web_series) Indian web series 2018 web series debuts ZEE5 original programming Action web series Crime thriller web series Fictional portrayals of police departments in India 2010s police procedural television series 2020s police procedural television series Fictional portrayals of the Uttar Pradesh Police Fictional portrayals of the Bihar Police Indian crime television series Indian thriller television series Indian action television series Television shows set in Uttar Pradesh Television shows set in Bihar Television shows set in Rajasthan Hindi-language web series Indian drama web series Television series set in the 1990s 2018 Indian television series debuts