So how many of you binge-watched the new #SushmitaSen show this weekend? #BadeAccheLagteHain from the 1974 film #BaalikaBadhu is what gave Amit Kumar National Acclaim as a singer. As you listen to the initial slow notes of the violin and the fantastic rendition of #RDBurman’s music, the one thing that strikes you is the “pakkad” with which he sings it. Listen to the song now and you realize its sung with deliberate emphasis on each word, and in no hurry at all. And that’s what makes the song so soulful and still strikes a chord even today after almost half a century!
#ChandrachudSingh makes his comeback, rotund look and cherubic face in place and his character Tej Sareen loves his retro songs, with #BadeAccheLAgteHain right up there. And that just about sets the context for this week’s special. Easily the best of the #HotstarSpecials so far, here is a show that is equally deliberate and takes its own time to build and in no hurry at all!
ASHOK’S FIVE reasons to watch #Aarya now streaming on #DisneyplusHotstar. The show co-produced by Ram Madhvani and Endemol Shine released this Friday and is based on the Dutch show “Penoza”. It is a slick, taut thriller with a gangster family backdrop and has #SushmitaSen making her comeback after a ten-year hiatus. And what a comeback – she is stunning, lives the lead character Aarya Sareen to the hilt, grows with the episodes and stands out her statuesque self both literally and figuratively amidst a host of talented actors.
#Aarya is the story of a woman, mother of three and sister to two caught in the family business that is on the wrong side of the law and how she overcomes odds at work, family, relations and friends to emerge on top. I think the beauty of this show is that within the boundaries of the crime thriller, it has a strong emotional kernel. The show is not all about Sushmita; each character is developed well and the emotions and challenges of being a woman in a large family are depicted well.
1. The show starts with Sushmita hanging upside down on her training rings and sets up the context of her home, family and social circle. She looks stunning all through the show with not a single hair out of place, pastel shade designer outfits and her enunciation and dialogue delivery improves with each episode so that by the finale, she evolves into the character of Aarya completely. It is fascinating to see this transformation as also to see how she remains minimally flustered through the challenges enroute. She deals with a truant husband, teenage children tantrums, an extended family where all is not well and an upright cop who is constantly at her heels. As a result, she is supermom, loyal wife, dutiful daughter and business savvy when it comes to managing an unlawful enterprise. The look of complete control on her visage as she circles around the goon Shekhawat (Manish Chaudhary) on her Segway in the final episode is that of a person finally in control! As she tells Jawahar (Namit Das), “Pehle Mard sambhalte the, Ab Bache Nahi”
2. Ram Madhvani is best when it comes to eking out extraordinary and intense performances from his leads (remember Sonam Kapoor in Neerja?) and does this brilliantly here. His team of directors include Sandeep Modi and Vinod Rawat and the nine-episode series with each episode at between 50-55 minutes captures your attention and keeps the suspense going. And that is why it works. The cast includes some heavyweights like Jayant Kriplani, Sikander Kher, Namit Das, Manish Chaudhury, Chandrachur Singh, Ankur Bhatia, Sohaila Kapur and the kids played by Viren Vazirani, Virti Vaghani and Pratyaksh Panwar. Special mention must be made for Vikas Kumar who plays ACP Khan and is irritatingly persistent as well as dutifully dogged in his pursuit. The writers Sandeep Shrivastava and Anu Singh Choudhury ensure that the spotlight is equally balanced between all the characters and that is one of the reasons this show engages you so well.
3. Every family has some dark secrets. And it is no different here. Aarya needs to confront the realities at each stage and overcome them and this journey is built up well. The scene where the funeral is inter-cut with the performance based on the Bhagavd Gita is very well crafted and the messaging of doing your duty even if it is going to impact your own kin comes through strongly. Somewhere along the way Aarya realizes that “the past is not important; the future of my children is “and that is when she takes charge. As she tells ACP Khan, sometimes the choice is not between good or evil, but it is about picking the lesser of the evils. It is amazing how so many of our creative works find their inspiration from the sacred texts and seem to always get it right!
4. The show is set somewhere in Rajasthan and the luxury of the ornate houses, fancy cars, cool shades, liveried staff, haute couture and polo teams makes for an impressive backdrop. The indoor scenes are shot in warm light with dark colour settings and mid to close up shots that provide a textured feel to the show.
5. Along the way, the show also captures several themes that make it multi-dimensional instead of staying on one track. There is the little child who is being bullied at school and later mortified at the sound of motorcycles as that reminds him of a murder. There is a teenage daughter who wants to hook up with her aunt’s husband, misplacing concern for love. And there is the older son who gets caught up in a honey trap and puts the entire family at risk. There is Sikander Kher as Daulat, the strong and silent macho man who also has secrets to hide. On the other side, there is Jawahar, the cocaine snorting accomplice and his wife played by Maya Sarao in a commendable role who are struggling with the situation. And there is the alcoholic mother who is fending off the younger ‘other’ woman who is truly concerned.
#Aarya does have its drawbacks. The pace is indulgent and at times you wish the episodes were not so long. The actors do ham their way through at some points and you do get a sense of déjà vu at some other points. The fact that the suspense keeps building in spite of all this, is in itself the success of the show. The last scene also leaves you with a nice little twist that points to the next season and you almost wish the show wouldn’t end right then. #SushmitaSen is brilliant and stamps her authority all over the show with ease and style. As she admonishes Shekhawat, “Trust is good, but control is better!” I am going with a 4 on 5 for #Aarya. Don’t miss it.
