For millions who grew up with CID, Pradyuman’s death hits like a punch to the gut. Watching ACP Pradyuman solve cases with that unshakeable calm and wisdom was a big part of growing up for many of us. And then the news came: Pradyuman is dead.
Not just retired or written off quietly—but killed in a bomb blast on-screen. That’s the kind of shock the recent reboot of CID on Netflix and Sony TV has sent through its loyal audience.
Social media is flooded with grief, confusion and outrage. Fans are heartbroken—and furious.
That bomb blast, orchestrated by the villain Barbosa (played by Tigmanshu Dhulia), marked the end of ACP Pradyuman’s 27-year legacy.
He was the face of that show, alongside Daya and Abhijeet. Now, not only is Pradyuman gone, but his absence is being filled by Parth Samthaan as ACP Ayushmann.
While the show claims it’s not a “direct replacement,” audiences aren’t buying it. The trio that held CID together for so long is gone.
And in its place, we have Parth Samthaan. One user on Twitter summed it up: “Why kill Pradyuman? And why bring in some chaapri like Parth Samthaan?
He looks like a TikToker, not an ACP.” Another added: “They should have given Pradyuman a dignified farewell—not this shock-and-sell tactic.”
The OTT move was meant to attract new audiences with darker plots and serialized storytelling. But instead, it’s alienated the very base that kept CID alive for over two decades. Long-running franchises evolve, especially in the streaming era.
But there’s a line between reinvention and disregard. Killing off a beloved icon like Pradyuman and replacing him with someone who, rightly or wrongly, is perceived as lacking gravitas feels tone-deaf to fans who cherished the original tone of the show.
Shivaji Satam wasn’t just playing a role; he was the CID. Introducing fresh faces like Parth Samthaan is understandable. But doing so on the ashes of an iconic figure seems like a misstep.
That chase for TRPs and viral buzz comes at a cost: trust. At its peak, CID was comfort television—crime-solving with moral clarity, led by a man who became a father figure for many.
Now, with this new direction, Netflix and the makers may have got attention. But at what cost? If legacy shows are to survive in the OTT era, the transition must be respectful—not shocking for shock’s sake.
Killing ACP Pradyuman may have created headlines. But for fans, it ended an emotional era—one that deserved a curtain call, not an explosion.
