Aarya Review: After the brilliant but claustrophobic Neerja, director Ram Madhvani is back with his next, Aarya - a web-series, inspired by the Dutch drama series Penoza. Aarya, streaming now part of Hotstar Specials, marks the OTT debut of former Miss Universe, Sushmita Sen. The series also brings back to screen Bollywood actor Chandrachur Singh of Kya Kehna and Josh fame after a long break. Aarya: Dubbing and Post-Production of Sushmita Sen’s Show Was Completed amid COVID-19 Lockdown.

Sushmita Sen is Aarya, the daughter of a rich business magnate (Jayant Kripalani), who is cool being at home as the mother of three kids. Her husband Tej (Chandrachur Singh) takes care of the pharmaceutical company, but is also a reluctant partner to her brother Sangram (Ankur Bhatia) and their friend Jawahar (Namit Das)'s shady dealings.

Just as the family getting prepped up for Aarya's sister's wedding, the men's drug deal goes bust, taking loot worth Rs 300 crore from their rival Shekhawat (Manish Chaudhari). Sangram is arrested for possession of cocaine. After the wedding, Tej, who promises Aarya to leave the business and go away with her, is fatally shot by an unknown intruder.

Watch the Trailer of Aarya:

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Now the responsibility of her husband's debts fall upon a befuddled Aarya, who also has to find out who killed him. All the while, also keeping the police led by a zealous ACP Khan (Vikas Kumar) at bay.

One huge reason to persist with Aarya - there is a reason I use 'persist' to be explained ahead - is Sushmita Sen. The actress brings both grace, grit and a panache to the role, hooking you even when the series merely trudges along. You just can't take your eyes off her, as Sushmita takes over Aarya, the show's easily best written character. Her slow but steady transition from a socialite wife to a hesitant crime ring boss is fascinating to watch. The narrative doesn't offer Aarya easy victories. Like Breaking Bad's Walter White (second time I am mentioning the show in a review in a day) - Aarya is made to earn her wins, while coping with losses and threats to her own family.

Her family life also makes for an interesting watch, as each of the kids seeks different way to deal with the trauma, none of which makes Aarya's life easy.

Ram Madhvani's use of old Hindi songs - Tej is an avid listener of these songs - adds a delicate nuance to the family's quieter moments. Though a couple of songs like "Akele Akele Kahan Ja Rahe Ho" take for surprisingly dark turns.

Another fascinating character is that of Jawahar. Selfish and corrupt, his frantic struggles to keep himself safe in the resulting mess lend to the series' more engaging moments.

There are other interesting characters who bring their own chaos to Aarya's predicament. Some of the noteworthy players are Daulat (Sikander Kher), Aarya's father's right-hand man who has a soft spot for mer. Bob (Alexx O'Nell), her musician gora brother-in-law, with a Bhagwad Geeta obsession, with whom her daughter gets infatuated with. Maya (Maya Sarao), Jawahar's wife, who is on her own trip at times. And if you persist with Aarya, you will relish what she turns into in the final episodes.

It is the characters that make Aarya an engrossing watch, even when it moves on a predictable pattern. At times, the series feel stretched and a few 'shock' moments added to make it bolder serves nothing apart from padding the narrative. But when Sushmita Sen and her Aarya is on screen, it is difficult to think of what has been bothering you in between. Except that maybe that Chandrachur Singh does look like a Delhiwala Tharoor. Aarya: Twitterati Compare Chandrachur Singh With Shashi Tharoor and We're Tripping Over It.

Yay!

- Sushmita Sen

- The Characters

- The Direction

Nay!

- Stretched Narrative

- Predictable Turns

Final Thoughts

Aarya is worth a watch just to see Sushmita Sen making a glorious comeback to acting. As a crime thriller series, it makes for a decent worth thanks to its grey characters and deft handling. Aarya is streaming on Disney Plus Hotstar.

Rating:3.0

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 19, 2020 06:13 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).