Rudravanam PS Review:
Telugu OTT audiences have a new crime thriller to check out this weekend. Rudravanam PS, starring Naresh Agastya in the lead role, is now streaming on ZEE5. Directed by Sasidhar Munnangi, this seven-episode web series starts with an interesting murder mystery and takes viewers into a world of missing people, police investigations and hidden secrets.
But does it manage to keep the suspense alive until the end? Let’s take a look.
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Rudravanam PS Story
The story takes place in a small town called Rudravanam, where a series of mysterious incidents puts the local police on alert. Several people go missing, including the brother of a powerful MLA. Things take a darker turn when the police discover a headless dead body.
Naresh Agastya plays SI Sivakumar, an honest police officer who takes charge of the investigation. Along with CI Venugopal (Banerjee) and his team, he starts looking into the missing-person cases and other suspicious incidents.
As the investigation moves forward, several unexpected connections begin to emerge. Anji, played by Charu Wakan, becomes an important part of the mystery. Meanwhile, political pressure, corruption and interference from influential people make Sivakumar’s job even more difficult.
Who is behind these crimes? What is the connection between the missing people and the dead body? The answers form the main suspense of Rudravanam PS.
Performances
Naresh Agastya is one of the biggest positives of the series. He fits well into the role of SI Sivakumar and brings the seriousness needed for an honest police officer. His investigation scenes work particularly well, and he manages to hold the attention even when the screenplay slows down.
Banerjee is convincing as CI Venugopal, while Shiva Alapati and Sugali Siloni play their respective police roles. Ramesh Konambhotla, Narayana Swamy, Shravani Reddy and Preetei Sundar are also part of the supporting cast.
Charu Wakan gets an important role as Anji and makes an impression, particularly in the later portions.
Perhaps the major strength of Rudravanam PS lies in its basic plotline. The mystery of the missing person case, the headless body and the sincere police officer who wants to solve the puzzle are quite captivating.
The first few episodes raise curiosity about who the victim is and what is the relationship between all the cases. The small town setting is also fitting.
Unfortunately, there are many weaknesses of this series that make it hard to be consistent all along. With the appearance of additional characters and subplots, it becomes a bit hard to follow the investigation. Some of the events seem to be predictable and some of the episodes could have been better written.
The screenplay should have been stricter in order to engage the viewer to watch all seven episodes till the end.
Technical Aspects
Director Sasidhar Munnangi takes up an interesting subject and conducts the investigation very well. But it would be good to improve the writing in order to preserve the suspense all through the seven episodes.
Ashkar Ali’s cinematography captures the rural setting and creates the right atmosphere for a crime thriller. The background score by Saluri Vasu Rao supports the investigative portions. Editing by Madhav could have been crisper in a few places.
Final Verdict
Rudravanam PS is a crime thriller with an interesting beginning but an uneven journey. Naresh Agastya’s performance, the police investigation setup and the mystery surrounding the missing people are its main strengths. On the other hand, predictable moments and a slightly stretched screenplay reduce the overall impact.
If you enjoy Telugu crime thrillers, police investigations and murder mysteries, you can give this series a try. Just don’t expect a completely gripping thriller from start to finish.
Rudravanam PS is now streaming on ZEE5.
Series Details:
Title: Rudravanam PS
Platform: ZEE5
OTT Release Date: October 30, 2026
Language: Telugu
Genre: Crime Thriller, Mystery
Episodes: 7
Director: Sasidhar Munnangi
Cast: Naresh Agastya, Banerjee, Shiva Alapati, Sugali Siloni, Ramesh Konambhotla, Narayana Swamy, Shravani Reddy, Charu Wakan and Preetei Sundar.
