Rautu Ka Raaz

Rautu Ka Raaz is a 2024 Indian Hindi-language mystery film directed by Anand Surapur and produced by Zee Studios along with Umesh Kr Bansal, Anand Surapur and Chintu Srivastava. The film stars Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Narayani Shastri, Rajesh Kumar and Atul Tiwari in key roles. The film premiered at the 54th International Film Festival of India in 2023. It is scheduled for a worldwide release on ZEE5 on June 28, 2024.

Synopsis
Inspector Negi, a PTSD sufferer, must solve the high-profile inquiry into the unexplained death of a Sevadham School warden. This investigation leads him to some unsettling truths.

Cast

 * Nawazuddin Siddiqui as Inspector (SHO) Deepak Singh Negi
 * Narayani Shastri as Blind School Warden Sangeeta Nihau
 * Rajesh Kumar as Assistant Sub-inspector Naresh Prabhakar Dimri
 * Atul Tiwari as School owner Manoj Keshri
 * Anoop Trevedi	as Constable Rajender Tripathi
 * Vicky Dutt as Head Constable Dinesh Pant
 * Samridhi Chandola	as Constable Lata Bisht
 * Pratham Rathod as	Rajat - Blind Student
 * Kailash Kandwal as Principal Vishwanath Kumai
 * Sandeep Sharma as C.O. Arjun Panwar
 * Drishti Gaba	as Diya - Blind Student
 * Anil Rastogi	as Home Minister
 * Narayani Shashtri	as Warden - Sangeeta
 * Kruthika Pawar as	Payal - Rape Victim
 * Gautam Sharma	as Trijugi Semwal - Asst. to Principal
 * Riya Sisodiya	Natasha as Music Teacher
 * Parimal Aloke	as Govind - Rapist
 * Preeti Sood as Hema (Asst. to Warden)
 * Nitinn Rana as Ashraf Jaani - Builder
 * Kavita Virmani as Malini Keshri
 * Harshit Verma	as Tanmay Keshri
 * Amit Kumar Sinha as School Watchman
 * Rahul	as Sikander
 * Sadat	as Billa
 * Rashmi Sharma	as Diya's Mother
 * Rajender Negi	as Diya's Father

Production
The script of the film was developed over 10 years, and it was shot in 2022. It was initially titled Rauti Ke Beli, after the village the story is set in.

Marketing
The trailer of the film was launched on June 13, 2024.

Reception
Archika Khurana of The Times of India rated 3 stars out of 5 and stated that "‘Rautu Ka Raaz’ is a slow-moving murder mystery that sustains its suspenseful atmosphere, keeping viewers intrigued as the mystery unfolds." Anindita Mukherjee of India Today gave 3 stars out of 5 and said that " ‘Rautu Ka Raaz’ is a decent watch for those who love everything about hill station thrillers, cop mysteries, and, of course, Nawaz. The film has much to offer and goes beyond its stellar star cast. You won't regret it if you add it to your weekend binge-list." Nandini Ramnath of Scroll.in observes that "Rautu Ka Raaz is parodying your average police procedural." Anuj Kumar of The Hindu writes in his review "It is a departure from blood-stained, breakneck crime thrillers, director Anand Surapur’s film impresses with its ambition but flunks in probing the characters and their circumstances" Mayur Sanap of rediff.com gave 1.5 stars out of 5 and stated that "Rautu Ka Raaz is a dragged-out slow burner of a film that just fails to ignite" A critic of Bollywood Hungama gave 2 stars out of 5 and said that "Rautu Ka Raaz has some interesting moments as well as an unpredictable climax. But the script suffers due to certain loose ends and also, it’s a film devoid of thrills and action."