‘People will continue to remember me for Crime Patrol’: Anup Soni reacts to Ajay Devgn becoming host of true crime show

Ajay Devgn's entry as the host marks a new phase for Crime Patrol, a show that has had several hosts over the years, most notably Anup Soni.

Sony TV sprang a surprise this past week when, as part of its slate announcement, it revealed that Bollywood star Ajay Devgn will be stepping in to host Crime Patrol, the channel's popular true-crime show. The show has long been associated with Anup Soni, who has hosted it for over a decade now.

Anup Soni on Crime Patrol

Ajay Devgn is taking over as the host of Crime Patrol, a show forever associated with Anup Soni.

After Ajay was announced as the new host, Anup reacted to the change and reflected on the legacy he left as the host of Crime Patrol. “Until something bigger than Crime Patrol comes along in my career, no matter how much other work I do, people will continue to remember me for Crime Patrol. Before Crime Patrol happened, people used to recognise me for Balika Vadhu. But when Crime Patrol came along, people forgot about Balika Vadhu,” Anup Soni told ANI.

Drawing from advice he remembers receiving from veteran actor Anil Kapoor, Anup Soni said certain roles or projects inevitably become defining points in an actor's journey. "Since these things are popular, as an actor, instead of running away from them, you should accept them.

Earlier this week, the makers of Crime Patrol released the first promo for the new season, featuring Ajay and giving viewers a first look at his role as the new host.

In the promo, Ajay discusses the crime situation in the country and notes that the person behind a crime is often someone known to the victim. He ends the promo by saying, "Main rahunga aapke saath". The show is set to premiere on August 31 on Sony Entertainment Television.

About Crime Patrol

Crime Patrol premiered on Sony in 2003, hosted by Diwakar Pundir, who was replaced by Shakti Anand in 2004. The show stopped its run in 2006 and was revived in 2010 with Anup Soni and Sakshi Tanwar as hosts. Anup took on solo host duties after 2011 and continued to host it till 2018. Since then, various seasons have been hosted by Divyanka Tripathi Dahiya, Sonali Kulkarni, Ashutosh Rana, and Sanjeev Tyagi.