For over a decade, the phrase “Crime Patrol” has been almost inseparable from one voice: Anup Soni’s. That’s about to change. Sony Entertainment Television is ushering in a new era for its flagship true-crime series, and this time, it’s Bollywood’s own tough-guy icon stepping behind the desk.
Ajay Devgn the actor synonymous with cop dramas like Singham and Gangaajal is making his television hosting debut with Crime Patrol 2026: Crime Ka Current Season, and the internet has been buzzing about it ever since he confirmed the news himself.
How the News Broke
Ajay Devgn didn’t leave fans guessing for long. He shared a teaser directly on his Instagram, giving audiences their first look at him in the host’s chair a role that, until now, belonged almost exclusively to television veterans rather than mainstream film stars of his stature.
Industry sources suggest the actor has been busy behind the scenes for a while now, having already completed filming for roughly 15 episodes of the new season. Interestingly, insiders close to the production say his run isn’t necessarily locked in for the long haul how long Devgn stays on as host will reportedly hinge on how viewers respond and where the show’s TRPs land in the coming weeks.
He also won’t be carrying the season entirely on his own. Actor Rajesh Tailang has been roped in to host a set of additional episodes, though it’s still unclear exactly how many will carry his name. That number, too, appears to be a wait-and-watch situation tied to how the season performs.
What Ajay Devgn Brings to Crime Patrol
In the teaser, Ajay Devgn doesn’t play it like a typical TV promo. He speaks directly and soberly about a theme that’s central to how Crime Patrol has always framed its stories: the danger often isn’t a stranger at all.
His message, paraphrased from the promo, essentially argues that we’re conditioned from childhood to fear the unknown to lock our doors and watch out for strangers when in reality, a significant number of crimes are committed by people the victim already trusts. Someone who’s been inside their home. Someone who has their address memorized without needing to ask.
It’s a fitting tone for an actor whose film career has practically been built around law enforcement and moral reckoning. From Gangaajal to the Singham series, Devgn has spent decades on screen portraying officers wrestling with crime and justice so in some ways, hosting a series built on real criminal cases isn’t a stretch for him. It’s closer to a natural continuation.
Producers have reportedly framed the new season’s intent as awareness-driven rather than sensational the idea being to inform viewers rather than simply alarm them.
Anup Soni’s Association With Crime Patrol
To understand why this change feels significant, it helps to look back at what Soni built. He first took over hosting duties on Crime Patrol back in 2010, and across the years that followed, he became arguably the most recognizable face the franchise has ever had.
This isn’t even his first exit, notably. Anup Soni briefly stepped away from the show years earlier to focus on his film and other TV work, and the show carried on without him for a stretch actor Sanjeev Tyagi held down the host’s chair during that gap before Soni eventually returned to the role roughly a year and a half later.
Over its run, Crime Patrol has actually seen a rotating cast of hosts beyond Soni too, including names like Sakshi Tanwar, Sonali Kulkarni, Diwakar Pundir, and Ashutosh Rana at different points. So while Soni is the name most associated with the show’s identity, Devgn’s arrival fits into a franchise that has changed hosts before just never with a star of this magnitude.
A Quick Look at Crime Patrol’s Legacy
Before it became the show audiences recognize today, Crime Patrol launched all the way back in 2003 on Sony TV, created by Subramanian S Iyer. In the two-plus decades since, it’s evolved through multiple editions Crime Patrol Satark, Crime Patrol Dastak, and Crime Patrol Dial 100 among them while racking up close to 2,100 episodes across nine seasons.
That kind of longevity is rare for Indian television, and it’s part of why any change at the top especially one involving a star as big as Devgn becomes national entertainment news rather than a routine casting update.
When Does Crime Patrol 2026 Premiere?
Mark your calendars: Crime Patrol 2026 is set to premiere on August 31, airing on Sony Entertainment Television.
The Bigger Question
Beyond the buzz of a Bollywood superstar making the jump to a hosting gig, the real intrigue here is whether Devgn’s intensity the kind that’s defined his on-screen cop roles for years will translate into the more restrained, narrative-driven format that Crime Patrol demands. Soni’s tenure worked because his tone felt measured and grounded. Devgn brings a different kind of gravity: bigger, more commanding, arguably more dramatic.
Whether that shift pays off will likely come down to the same thing insiders are already pointing to how audiences respond once the new season actually airs on August 31.
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