Ajay Devgn Joins ‘Crime Patrol 2026’ as Special Host; Here’s What We Know About Anup Soni’s Role

Ajay Devgn is bringing his familiar screen authority to Crime Patrol, but reports that the Bollywood star has permanently replaced long-time presenter Anup Soni require an important qualification.

Sony Entertainment Television has brought Devgn on board for Crime Patrol 2026 – Crime Ka Current Season, which is scheduled to premiere on August 31, 2026 at 10:30 pm. The programme will also stream on Sony LIV. Sony's promotional rollout features Devgn presenting the new edition of the long-running crime franchise.

Initial coverage widely described the development as Devgn replacing Soni. The Indian Express, Times of India, India Today and other publications reported the change in those terms.

A subsequent report, however, has complicated that narrative.

Ajay Devgn Reportedly Has Not Permanently Replaced Anup Soni

On August 13, Bollywood Hungama published a fact-check citing a source connected to the programme who said Devgn had not replaced Anup Soni.

According to that report, Devgn has instead joined Crime Patrol 2026 as a special host and is expected to present only selected episodes.

That clarification matters because much of the first wave of coverage including the original news lead supplied for this report characterised the development as a straightforward replacement.

There is additional evidence that Devgn's initial commitment may be limited.

The Indian Express reported on August 10, citing a source close to the development, that Devgn had already filmed 15 episodes. The source said whether he continued with additional episodes would depend on audience response and ratings.

Until Sony explicitly defines the long-term hosting arrangement, the more accurate description is therefore that Ajay Devgn is joining the new season as a host, with secondary reporting indicating that his role is limited rather than a permanent replacement for Anup Soni.

What Sony Has Confirmed About Crime Patrol 2026

What is firmly established is Devgn's association with the programme.

The new edition is titled Crime Patrol 2026 - Crime Ka Current Season and will air on Sony Entertainment Television while also being available through Sony LIV.

The show continues Crime Patrol's established format of dramatising crime stories while drawing attention to circumstances that can leave people vulnerable.

Devgn also appeared in the promotional campaign for the new season.

The campaign focuses on a particularly unsettling aspect of crime: danger does not necessarily come from strangers. In the promo, Devgn points towards cases in which perpetrators may already know their victims and have access to their homes and personal lives.

That theme positions the actor less as a conventional entertainment-show presenter and more as a narrator guiding viewers through the programme's crime-awareness format.

Why Ajay Devgn Fits Crime Patrol

The casting makes obvious use of Devgn's established screen identity.

Few major Hindi-film actors are as closely associated with law-enforcement characters.

His portrayal of Bajirao Singham turned the Singham films into one of the defining police franchises of contemporary mainstream Hindi cinema. He also played police and law-enforcement characters in projects including Gangaajal and Rohit Shetty's wider cop universe.

There is an interesting contrast, however.

The heroic police officer of commercial cinema and the narrator of Crime Patrol serve very different functions.

Crime Patrol is not asking Devgn to perform elaborate action sequences or deliver the kind of larger-than-life policing associated with Singham. His job as presenter is to establish context and guide viewers through dramatised stories inspired by crime cases.

That makes his familiar authority useful without requiring the programme itself to become an extension of his film persona.

Ajay Devgn Calls the Show a ‘Responsibility’

Devgn has also spoken about the seriousness he associates with joining the programme.

In comments issued around the new season, the actor said being associated with Crime Patrol feels like a responsibility towards viewers.

He emphasised awareness and alertness, saying that the programme deals with incidents that can occur around ordinary people and that staying informed can help people remain safer.

The comments fit the franchise's long-standing public-awareness positioning rather than presenting Devgn's involvement purely as a celebrity-hosting assignment.

What Has Anup Soni Said?

Soni has responded publicly to Devgn's arrival without expressing hostility toward the change.

Speaking to Variety India, as reproduced by The Indian Express, Soni described his relationship with Crime Patrol as long and special and said he was grateful for the affection audiences had given him over the years.

He also expressed admiration for Devgn.

The two actors have previously worked together in Prakash Jha's Gangaajal and Apaharan, something Soni referenced while discussing the new host. He said he expected Devgn to bring his own style and perspective to the programme and wished him and the team well.

Soni has also reflected on how deeply Crime Patrol became connected with his public identity, saying he believes people will continue remembering him for the programme.

That association is difficult to overstate.

Soni spent more than a decade closely identified with Crime Patrol, and his restrained delivery became one of the franchise's most recognisable elements.

Is This Really Ajay Devgn's Television Debut?

Several reports have described Crime Patrol as Devgn's television hosting debut, which is the more precise formulation.

Calling it simply his first appearance on television can be misleading because Devgn has appeared extensively on television as a celebrity guest while promoting films.

What changes here is his function.

Rather than appearing on somebody else's programme as an actor promoting a project, he becomes part of the presentation of a recurring television franchise.

That places him alongside a long list of Hindi-film stars who have expanded their public identities through television hosting.

Crime Patrol Returns With a New-Age Crime Focus

The new season is also being positioned around contemporary forms of crime.

India Today reported that the edition will focus on new-age crime stories, with Devgn serving as its face and narrator.

That approach makes sense for a franchise that has survived by adapting its stories to changing social circumstances.

Crime today increasingly intersects with smartphones, digital identities, financial systems, online relationships and access to personal information. The promotional emphasis on offenders sometimes being people already trusted by victims gives the upcoming season a more contemporary framework.

The Celebrity Hour Take

Ajay Devgn hosting Crime Patrol is an obvious piece of casting, but that doesn't make it uninteresting.

His screen persona gives Sony something valuable: audiences already associate him with authority, investigation and policing before he says a word.

The bigger editorial issue, however, is how quickly the announcement became simplified into “Ajay Devgn replaces Anup Soni.”

Current reporting suggests the situation is more nuanced.

Devgn has unquestionably joined Crime Patrol 2026 and has reportedly filmed a batch of episodes. But a later fact-check says he is a special host rather than Soni's permanent replacement.

That distinction should remain visible until Sony clarifies the complete hosting structure.

It also avoids manufacturing a Devgn-versus-Soni transition that neither man's public comments support.

For Soni, Crime Patrol remains a major part of his television legacy. For Devgn, the new season offers something different: a chance to translate the authority audiences associate with his film characters into factual-crime television without actually playing another fictional police officer.

Sources & Verification

This report was prepared by cross-checking Sony's announced Crime Patrol 2026 rollout with Ajay Devgn's promotional appearance and multiple independent reports about the hosting arrangement.

Early reports describing Devgn as Anup Soni's replacement have been distinguished from Bollywood Hungama's later August 13 report stating that Devgn is a special host for selected episodes. Because the latter relies on an unnamed programme source rather than a publicly available Sony statement specifically defining Soni's status, The Celebrity Hour does not present either a permanent replacement or Soni's continued hosting as conclusively established.