Raktanchal True Story: Real Gangsters, Characters & Cast

Raktanchal (2020) is a Hindi crime drama web series made for MX Player, directed by Ritam Srivastav and starring Kranti Prakash Jha as Vijay Singh and Nikitin Dheer as Waseem Khan. Set in 1980s Purvanchal, the eastern part of Uttar Pradesh, it is about the bloody fight for government contracts. Ever since it came out, one question keeps coming up: is Raktanchal a true story, and which gangster is it based on? Here is what is known – and what is only guesswork.

Quick answer

• Is it a true story? Partly. The makers describe it as inspired by real events from the 1980s in Purvanchal – not a biopic of any one person.
• Which gangster is it based on? No real name is used and the makers have not officially linked any character to a real person. Many viewers compare the Vijay Singh vs Waseem Khan rivalry with the widely reported gang war between Brijesh Singh and Mukhtar Ansari.
• Are the characters real? Vijay Singh, Waseem Khan and the rest are fictional characters.
• Seasons: Season 1 (May 2020, 9 episodes), Season 2 (February 2022, 9 episodes), Season 3 (July 2026).
• Where to watch: Seasons 1 and 2 are on NoWireTV – all 18 episodes.

What Raktanchal is about

Waseem Khan is the unchallenged king of the tender mafia in Purvanchal. Every big government contract goes to him, officials take their cut, and his gang also runs liquor, coal and arms. Then Vijay Singh – a bright young man preparing for the civil services – loses his father to a killing by Waseem's men. He gives up his career plans and steps into the same world to take revenge.

What follows is a long war of attrition: contracts snatched, rivals hunted, and politicians switching sides whenever it suits them. Season 2 moves the fight from tenders to politics, with Waseem trying to enter power and a race for the Chief Minister's chair.

The real story behind it: the tender raj of Purvanchal

From the 1980s onwards, the government poured money into development projects in eastern UP – roads, railways, public works and more. Winning those contracts meant money and power, and organised gangs fought each other to control them. Contract work in areas like coal, railway construction, scrap and liquor became a prize worth killing for, and the Ghazipur–Varanasi belt became known for gang rivalries that later spilled into politics.

The best-known rivalry of that world is the one between the gangs of Brijesh Singh and Mukhtar Ansari, which has been widely reported over the years. Ansari later became an MLA and died in prison custody in March 2024; Brijesh Singh also went on to enter politics.

This is why so many people search "is Raktanchal based on Mukhtar Ansari". Fans point to some broad parallels – a contract mafia, a young man turning to crime after his father's murder, and gang wars mixing with politics. But the series uses invented names, reshapes events for drama, and its timeline does not match real history neatly. The fairest way to see it: Raktanchal borrows the world of the Purvanchal tender wars, not the life story of any one person.

Some viewers also mention Shri Prakash Shukla, but we found no reputable report linking him to Raktanchal – his story is more often linked to other crime series.

What the makers say

The official line from the team is that the story is inspired by real-life events from 1980s Purvanchal. Coverage of Season 2 also described the show as based on some true events in the region. Neither the director nor the platform has named any real person as the basis for a character.

Raktanchal reel vs real characters

The comparisons in the last column come from viewers and commentators, not from the makers – treat them as popular talk, not fact.

Raktanchal cast

• Kranti Prakash Jha as Vijay Singh
• Nikitin Dheer as Waseem Khan
• Soundarya Sharma as Roli
• Ronjini Chakraborty as Seema and Krishna Bisht as Katta
• Chittaranjan Tripathy as Bechan and Basu Soni as Chhunnu
• Ravi Khanvilkar as Pujari Singh and Vikram Kochhar as Sanki Pandey
• Ashish Vidyarthi as Ramanand Rai, with Pramod Pathak and Daya Shankar Pandey
• Season 2 adds Mahie Gill as Saraswati Devi and Karan Patel as police officer Himanshu Patnaik

Season 1 was written by Sarvesh Upadhyay and directed by Ritam Srivastav, who returned for the later seasons.

Raktanchal Season 1 episodes

1. The Bad Blood
2. High Stakes
3. You Win, You Die!
4. Black Gold
5. The Blood Feud
6. Cat and Mouse
7. Try Till You Succeed
8. Land Is Your Mother
9. Public Enemy

Raktanchal Season 2 episodes

1. Rebirth Of Vijay Singh
2. Game Around The Chair
3. Dead Or Alive
4. Investigation Begins
5. Uprising Of Vijay Singh
6. Wait Is Too Long
7. Chief Minister Is No More
8. Real Culprit Is Found
9. Conclusion But Not Concluded

Is there a Raktanchal Season 3?

Yes. Season 3 was announced in June 2026 and premiered on 16 July 2026 on Amazon MX Player, again directed by Ritam Srivastav, with Kranti Prakash Jha and Nikitin Dheer back as Vijay and Waseem. Reviews called it darker and more personal, with the revenge story taking centre stage. There is no official word yet on a Season 4. If you have not seen the first two seasons, start there – Season 3 picks up their threads.

Where to watch Raktanchal online

You can watch Raktanchal Seasons 1 and 2 on NoWireTV – all 18 episodes in HD, on the website, the NoWireTV Android app and Android TV / Fire TV.

1. Open the Raktanchal series page.
2. Pick a season and start from The Bad Blood.
3. The player remembers where you stopped, so you can binge at your own pace.

Like grounded crime stories? Read our guide to Vadh and Vadh 2, or watch gangster dramas like Kaapa, K.G.F: Chapter 1 and Dhurandhar.

Read next

• Chumbak episode guide
• Vadh & Vadh 2: where to watch

Frequently asked questions

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