Sushmita Sen has long been admired and desired for her ethereal beauty. The former Miss Universe has a captivating persona and a charming demeanor which adds to her physical attributes. Most of the people remember her from Main Hoon Na’s chemistry teacher who walks in slow motion, draped in exquisite chiffon sarees with wind piercing her silky hairs making them swirl like flora dancing to the power of the wind. Considering her career trajectory in the Hindi film industry, one can’t help but notice her beauty overpowering the acting skills.
Very few remember her jaw dropping performance in Samay(2003) but many celebrate her as damsel in distress from Biwi no 1. Most of her directors captured her enchanting pulchritude but never presented the actress within her. Thankfully, Ram Madhvani, Sandeep Modi are not one of those directors.
Set in posh mansions and palaces of Jaipur, the story follows a rich powerful family which owns a pharmaceutical company as a facade to surreptitiously run their illegal drug empire. At the centre of it is Aarya played by Sushmita Sen, who must make the necessary and immoral decisions after taking up the charge of her illegal family business to protect her children after her husband is shot by an unknown assassin. Her husband ‘Tej’, played by Chandrachur Singh, owns the company jointly with a family friend Jawahar played by Namit Das and Aarya’s brother Sangram played by Ankur Bhatia. The family has several dark secrets which comes out throughout the procession of the story.
Guns, violence, deception, murder, betrayal, lies, investigation, suspense and tragedy are all essential elements of this dysfunctional family whose old patriarch ‘Zorawar’ played by Jayant Kriplani can leap to any length for protecting his empire. Apart from Aarya and Sangram, he with his former spouse Rajeshwari (Sohaila Kriplani) also has the youngest daughter Saundarya played by Priyasha Bhardwaj. Saundarya is married to an english guy named Bob(Richard Klein), a Sanskrit enthusiast who is intertwining rock with the Bhagavad Gita’s verses.
Those lines from the holy scripture are used to flesh out the psyche and motives of the characters which play an integral role to drive the narrative forward. There is also a flamboyant business rival and a lethal gangster named Shekhawat played by Manish Chaudhary,family’s right hand man Daulat(Sikander Kher),a police official ACP Khan, Zorawar’s young wife Radhika(Flora Saini), Sangram’s girlfriend Hina(Sugandha Garg) and Jawahar’s wife Maya played by Maya Sarao.
The reason all these small and big characters deserve a mention is because the series provides them a three dimensional structure and a complete story arc. No character is small or too inconsequential to be used as a prop because each one of them gets enough space to breathe and adds dignity to the story. Even Aarya’s three kids Veer, Arundhati and Aditya are very integral to the story so much so that their individual journeys are aligned with the series’ ultimate objectives.
But, at the centre of it is Aarya, who is like a wounded lioness protecting her cubs. Although, she unwillingly took up the family business but later discovers her astute and competence for the world she rules. She is powerful yet delicate as established in the first few moments of the show when Aarya hangs on Gymnastic rings upside down and then goes to her kitchen preparing kids for school and embraces her husband while listening to old hindi songs.
By the end of the series, we again see Aarya on those rings but this time she holds herself up firmly threatening someone on the phone like a gangster.
Aarya is a unisex name which is often attributed to Goddess Parvati who is a benevolent and noble but can turn into ruthless Durga to kill the evil. This fictional Aarya is also the same and just like the name, doesn’t conform to a particular gender’s interest. Her story can be as relatable to a man as it is to a woman.
Aarya is inspired from the Dutch series Penoza which went on for five seasons. Even some of the scenes are exactly congruent in both these shows but what makes this show distinctive are the cultural references and the world it creates.
Director Ram Madhvani and Sandeep Modi present us the family which like many erstwhile royal families in Jaipur is struggling to maintain significance and power dynamics. It is the world where your Karma dictates the repercussions of one’s actions on the people around, which is why Bhagavad Gita’s philosophies in this series becomes an overarching theme.
The director uses his camera to make the most dramatic moments real. The camera constantly shakes even slipping away the actor from a frame which gives the illusion of the drama unfolding live in front of the viewer. Also the camera rests on the actors even after the drama has unfolded which makes the scene more authentic.
The acting is more real and the highly emotional scenes never become over-dramatic. Take a scene when Aarya is taking her husband to the hospital after he has been shot. Here, Sushmita never sobs like a Hindi film actress to express distress but instead, she looks shocked after witnessing the unexpected turn of events. There are several long takes which enable you to decipher the tension developed in that scene.
The clever editing and multiple storylines have the potential to hook the viewers making them binge watch all the episodes. The highlight of the show are also the little moments that creates a huge impact like Aarya calling her kids ‘Baccha’, a gay inspector’s partner bringing him lunch, the young wife of old family patriarch not being malicious gold digger or the female friendship and sisterhood. All these moments add depth and bring life to this crime thriller.
All the actors are brilliant in their respective roles. No one steals the show but instead supports the show. The screenplay serves the story rather than the actors involved especially Sushmita Sen who is at the centre of this show gives her career defining performance.
Her talent has long been ignored by the industry but here she projects command and vulnerability both at the same time. It truly seems that she has arrived with a bang. Chandrachur Singh as Tej also shines in his brief yet impactful performance. Sikander Kher, Namit Das and Manish Chaudhary do get multiple opportunities to shine.
Special mention to Maya Sarao who claims her acting prowess through her distinctive style even in a smaller role of a woman stuck amid the brooding enmity between her friend and husband.
Aarya has all the elements of the great binge worthy show and you just can’t miss this. The end promises a season 2 and its wait shall be worthwhile.