# Rana Naidu
**Rana Naidu** (राणा नायडू) is an Indian Hindi-language crime drama television series on Netflix, an official adaptation of the American Showtime series *Ray Donovan*. It stars real-life uncle and nephew [Rana Daggubati](https://www.edgepedia.org/rana-daggubati) and [Venkatesh Daggubati](https://www.edgepedia.org/venkatesh-actor) as a celebrity fixer and his estranged, ex-convict father, and it ran for two seasons between 2023 and 2025.[1](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/netflix-announces-rana-naidu-starring-superstars-rana-daggubati-and) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/rana_naidu)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Premise | Rana Naidu is the go-to problem solver for the rich and famous; when his father Naga is released from jail, the one mess he cannot handle may be his own[3](https://www.netflix.com/na/title/81313283) |
| Basis | Official Indian adaptation of the Showtime crime drama *Ray Donovan*; format rights licensed by ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group[1](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/netflix-announces-rana-naidu-starring-superstars-rana-daggubati-and) |
| Lead cast | Rana Daggubati as Rana Naidu and Venkatesh Daggubati as his father Naga Naidu, their first screen pairing; Arjun Rampal joined in Season 2 as Rauf[1](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/netflix-announces-rana-naidu-starring-superstars-rana-daggubati-and) • [4](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/netflix-unleashes-the-trailer-of-rana-naidu-season-2) |
| Seasons | Season 1 premiered 10 March 2023 with 10 episodes; Season 2 premiered 13 June 2025 with 8 episodes, 18 episodes total[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/rana_naidu) • [5](https://usa.newonnetflix.info/info/81313283) |
| Creators | Created by Karan Anshuman; directed by Anshuman, Suparn S. Varma, and (Season 2) Abhay Chopra; produced by Sunder Aaron and Locomotive Global[4](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/netflix-unleashes-the-trailer-of-rana-naidu-season-2) |
| Performance | Season 1 was the No. 1 most-watched series in India for three consecutive weeks and trended in Netflix's Global Top 10 for Non-English TV for 2 weeks[6](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/the-warring-rana-and-naga-make-way-for-the-second-season-of-rana-naidu) |
| Critical reception | Average Tomatometer 50% and Popcornmeter 42% on Rotten Tomatoes; IMDb user rating about 7.1/10[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/rana_naidu) • [7](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/rana-naidu) |
## Spoilers
### Premise and characters
Rana Naidu works as a fixer for Bollywood celebrities, burying scandals for cricketers and starlets, erasing crimes, and burying secrets in plain sight.[3](https://www.netflix.com/na/title/81313283) • [4](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/netflix-unleashes-the-trailer-of-rana-naidu-season-2) The central conflict is domestic: his father Naga Naidu, an estranged ex-convict described as a "ticking time bomb of regret, rage, and unresolved history," is suddenly released from jail, and the family's feuds and dysfunctional dynamics drive the story.[3](https://www.netflix.com/na/title/81313283) • [4](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/netflix-unleashes-the-trailer-of-rana-naidu-season-2)
The supporting cast includes [Surveen Chawla](https://www.edgepedia.org/surveen-chawla) as Naina Naidu, Sushant Singh as Tej Naidu, Abhishek Banerjee, Gaurav Chopra, Ashish Vidyarthi, Rajesh Jais, and [Suchitra Pillai](https://www.edgepedia.org/suchitra-pillai).[6](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/the-warring-rana-and-naga-make-way-for-the-second-season-of-rana-naidu) • [8](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/telugu/its-a-wrap-for-venkatesh-daggubati-rana-daggubati-starrer-rana-naidu-7943555/) Season 2 added [Arjun Rampal](https://www.edgepedia.org/arjun-rampal) as Rauf, a ruthless underworld figure from Rana's past, along with Kriti Kharbanda and Dino Morea.[4](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/netflix-unleashes-the-trailer-of-rana-naidu-season-2)
## Production
Netflix announced the series on 21 September 2021 as an official adaptation of *Ray Donovan*, produced by Locomotive Global Inc., with Karan Anshuman as showrunner and director and Suparn Verma co-directing.[1](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/netflix-announces-rana-naidu-starring-superstars-rana-daggubati-and) The format rights were licensed by ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group; after Paramount's reorganization, the adaptation rights were licensed to Netflix by Paramount Global Content Distribution.[1](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/netflix-announces-rana-naidu-starring-superstars-rana-daggubati-and) • [9](https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/netflix-indian-adaptation-ray-donovan-035900910.html) Filming wrapped in May 2022, and the show marked the streaming debut of both lead actors.[8](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/telugu/its-a-wrap-for-venkatesh-daggubati-rana-daggubati-starrer-rana-naidu-7943555/)
The producer is Sunder Aaron, co-founder of Locomotive Global Inc., a US-incorporated company operating in the United States and India that develops and distributes Indian-themed television and film content.[1](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/netflix-announces-rana-naidu-starring-superstars-rana-daggubati-and) The series is shot in Hindi, with audio and subtitle tracks in several Indian and international languages on Netflix.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/rana_naidu) • [5](https://usa.newonnetflix.info/info/81313283)
## Release and reception
**Season 1** premiered on 10 March 2023 with 10 episodes.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/rana_naidu) Netflix renewed it for a second season weeks after launch, on 19 April 2023, reporting that the season had held the No. 1 spot as the most-watched series in India for three consecutive weeks, remained in the India Top 10 for a fifth week, and appeared in Netflix's Global Top 10 for Non-English TV for two weeks.[6](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/the-warring-rana-and-naga-make-way-for-the-second-season-of-rana-naidu)
**Season 2** premiered on 13 June 2025 with 8 episodes.[4](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/netflix-unleashes-the-trailer-of-rana-naidu-season-2) • [5](https://usa.newonnetflix.info/info/81313283) Its story follows Rana on one last job to secure his family's future before leaving the fixing business, while a ruthless underworld figure from his past, Rauf, closes in.[10](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81313283) Netflix's teaser for the season drew large early viewership, and the Ormax Media ranking of top streaming originals in India listed Rana Naidu Season 2 with 9.5 million viewers as a Hindi fiction series.[11](https://epaper.truepointnews.com/media/2025-06/18th-june_point_epaper_tg.pdf) • [12](https://www.ormaxmedia.com/insights/stories/download-file.php?key=top-50-streaming-originals-in-india-the-2025-story&type=pdf)
Critical response was mixed. On Rotten Tomatoes the series holds an average Tomatometer of 50% (4 fresh, 4 rotten reviews) and a 42% Popcornmeter audience score.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/rana_naidu) Reviewing Season 2 for [The Indian Express](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-indian-express), Shubhra Gupta rated it 2.5 out of 5, calling it as kinetic as the first season while noting it dialed down the crassness; Udita Jhunjhunwala of Scroll.in wrote that the season was elevated by Arjun Rampal's menacing antagonist Rauf.[13](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/rana_naidu/s02) Audience ratings on aggregators have been warmer than critic scores, with an IMDb user rating of about 7.1 out of 10.[7](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/rana-naidu)
## Adaptation of Ray Donovan
*Rana Naidu* reworks the premise of *Ray Donovan*, the American family crime drama, into the world of Indian celebrity and its fixers.[1](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/netflix-announces-rana-naidu-starring-superstars-rana-daggubati-and) Roxanne Pompa, vice president of international formats at Paramount Global Content Distribution, said the adaptation stays true to the original while localizing for Indian audiences.[9](https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/netflix-indian-adaptation-ray-donovan-035900910.html) The first season runs 10 episodes against the original's longer first season, and the story centers the father-son conflict on the casting of an actual uncle and nephew pair.[1](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/netflix-announces-rana-naidu-starring-superstars-rana-daggubati-and)
## References
1. [Netflix Announces 'Rana Naidu' Starring Superstars Rana Daggubati And Venkatesh Daggubati, About Netflix (21 September 2021)](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/netflix-announces-rana-naidu-starring-superstars-rana-daggubati-and)
2. [Rana Naidu, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/rana_naidu)
3. [Rana Naidu, Netflix Official Site](https://www.netflix.com/na/title/81313283)
4. [Netflix Unleashes the Trailer of 'Rana Naidu' Season 2, About Netflix (2 June 2025)](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/netflix-unleashes-the-trailer-of-rana-naidu-season-2)
5. [Everything you need to know about "Rana Naidu" on Netflix USA, New On Netflix USA](https://usa.newonnetflix.info/info/81313283)
6. [The Warring Rana and Naga Make Way For The Second Season of 'Rana Naidu', About Netflix (19 April 2023)](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/the-warring-rana-and-naga-make-way-for-the-second-season-of-rana-naidu)
7. [Rana Naidu - watch tv show streaming online, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/rana-naidu)
8. [It's a wrap for Venkatesh-Rana Daggubati starrer web series Rana Naidu, The Indian Express (30 May 2022)](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/telugu/its-a-wrap-for-venkatesh-daggubati-rana-daggubati-starrer-rana-naidu-7943555/)
9. [Netflix's Indian Adaptation of 'Ray Donovan' Finds Global Audience, Yahoo (Variety)](https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/netflix-indian-adaptation-ray-donovan-035900910.html)
10. [Rana Naidu, Netflix Media Center](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81313283)
11. [Rana Naidu Season 2 teaser coverage, True Point News epaper (18 June 2025)](https://epaper.truepointnews.com/media/2025-06/18th-june_point_epaper_tg.pdf)
12. [Top 50 Streaming Originals in India: The 2025 Story, Ormax Media](https://www.ormaxmedia.com/insights/stories/download-file.php?key=top-50-streaming-originals-in-india-the-2025-story&type=pdf)
13. [Rana Naidu: Season 2, Rotten Tomatoes (critics reviews)](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/rana_naidu/s02)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › International serial drama and telenovelas › South and Southeast Asian serials › Format remakes and cross-national adaptation relationships*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license