Meet the cast of Rana Naidu, Netflix's Indian remake of Ray Donovan
The crime thriller has been reinvented under a new creative team.
After a celebrated run on US television, crime thriller Ray Donovan is getting a new lease of life courtesy of Indian remake Rana Naidu, which is coming to Netflix later this month.
The original series (now streaming on Paramount Plus) followed the titular Hollywood fixer, played by Liev Schreiber, as he dealt with his criminal father's unexpected release from prison.
Rana Naidu changes the setting to India's own glamorous and booming film scene Bollywood, but retains the premise of a fraught father-son dynamic, with the recent trailer seeing the duo come to blows.
Co-creator Karan Anshuman explained to Deadline: “What struck me is how families are integral to the story, and that obviously has relevance in India.
"Plus all the heightened drama with guns and gangsters could be pushed much more to the extremes when you move the action from Los Angeles to Bombay, especially when it comes to the imbalance of power and corruption.”
Collaborator Suparn Verma added: “India is primarily all about emotions and family, and the way Karan and his team adapted the material, localising the story and making the characters our own, gives the show a completely fresh perspective even if you’ve seen the original.”
Here's your guide to the key players in Netflix's Rana Naidu, inspired by the hit Showtime thriller Ray Donovan.
Rana Daggubati plays Rana Naidu
Based on Liev Schreiber's Ray Donovan
Who is Rana Naidu? Rana is known as a 'fixer' – someone who has built a career getting Bollywood stars out of trouble, no matter how serious. He is well known within the film industry, with one character remarking in the trailer: "If Rana's around, there are scandals around". But his own life spirals into chaos when his criminal father is unexpectedly released early from prison, causing turmoil within the Naidu family.
What else has Rana Daggubati been in? Daggubati is one of India's most famous actors, known for starring in action epics Baahubali: The Beginning and its 2017 sequel, with the latter becoming the highest-grossing film in the nation's history. He also provided the Telugu dub for Thanos in Marvel's Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame.
Venkatesh Daggubati plays Naga Naidu
Based on Jon Voight's Michael 'Mickey' Donovan
Who is Naga Naidu? Naga is Rana's father, whose jail sentence is abruptly cut short. He immediately sets about wrestling control of the family away from his son, which unsurprisingly causes major friction between them.
What else has Venkatesh Daggubati been in? Venkatesh is the real-life uncle of Rana Daggubati. He is a successful actor in his own right, with his recent credits including Prime Video original Narappa as well as comedy franchise Fun and Frustration.
Surveen Chawla plays Naina Naidu
Based on Paula Malcomson's Abigail 'Abby' Donovan
Who is Naina Naidu? Naina is Rana's wife, who is described in a recent teaser as "sometimes" loving.
What else has Surveen Chawla been in? Her recent credits include Netflix comedy Decoupled and the Indian adaptation of action series 24.
Sushant Singh plays Tej Naidu
Based on Eddie Marsan's Terrence 'Terry' Donovan
Who is Tej Naidu? Tej is Rana's older brother, known for being the most level-headed member of the family.
What else has Sushant Singh been in? Singh broke out in the cast of acclaimed Indian thriller Jungle, with more recent projects including Disney Plus original Good Luck Jerry.
Abhishek Banerjee plays Jaffa Naidu
Based on Dash Mihok's Brendan 'Bunchy' Donovan
Who is Jaffa? Jaffa is Rana's younger brother, who has an unhealthy relationship with alcohol.
What else has Abhishek Banerjee been in? Previously, he appeared in sports drama Rashmi Rocket and comedy series PariWar.
Ashish Vidyarthi plays Raj Naidu
Not directly based on a Ray Donovan character.
Who is Raj Naidu? Raj is the brother of Naga and uncle to Rana, Tej and Jaffa. There was no corresponding character in the original Ray Donovan series, meaning his storyline is open to all possibilities.
What else has Ashish Vidyarthi beeen in? His most celebrated works include crime thriller Drohkaal and hard-hitting drama Minugurulu.
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Rana Naidu is available to stream on Netflix from Friday 10th March 2023. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.
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Authors
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
