Aarya 2 review: Sushmita Sen brings back her claws in Ram Madhvani’s web series

3/5

Aarya's second season follows the journey of a mother as she battles the dark world of crime and enemies closing in on her family and children. Will her family remain a source of strength for her, or will her trustworthy people turn against her?

Season one of Aarya was all about unravelling "Who killed Tej?", the character played by Chandrachur Singh. It is eventually revealed that the assassin was none other than Daulat (Sikandar Kher), who finished this job on Aarya's (Sushmita Sen) father Zorawar's (Jayant Kripalani) orders. The season ends then and there, but that's not the end of the story. Aarya flees to Australia to start a new life, but she gets a call from the Russians, whose drugs are still MIA thanks to the whole chaos created by Shekhawat (Manish Gupta) and her.

Then what could the second season be about? Well, Aarya has to come back home, and the reason for it has to be very strong to do so. The only way that Aarya can face her family is to get them convicted of the murder they committed to disrupting her whole life. But we already saw her doing so in the finale episode of the first season. However, yes, Aarya is back home to face the same demons in her life, which has already been hell.

This season, there are not many additions, and the same crime is committed by people whom we have already seen in the previous season. So the guesswork has become easier as their character traits are pretty much established and we know who is capable of what.

One of the characters, Kedia, played by Tariq Vasudeva, makes his first outing in the second season of the series. Aarya's father is shown as a trusted man and a lawyer. As there wasn't any mention of his character in the first season, he didn't fit the narrative and his whole plot came about as a forced catalyst.

So does Akash Khurana's character as Shekhawat's (Manish Gupta) father. Sure, he wants to avenge his son's death, but that doesn't even become the sole purpose, and another twist is added.

Several loopholes make season two a tad bit slower and not as gripping as I wanted it to be. But Ram Madhvani keeps the story going and ends every episode on a cliffhanger, which will make you hit the next episode. It also gives you hope that this season will not be the end of the story that took OTT by storm in 2020.

The best thing about Aarya 2 is, hands down, Sushmita, who continues to carry the series on her shoulders. The actor gets into the titular role as she has never left her in the past couple of years.

Sushmita has more action sequences and intense scenes. Finally, her suspense training comes in handy for her during a scene, and it's one of the best in the series. The angst and determination to get everything done right come together, making her the only character to look forward to.

Another actor who did a pretty decent job, like in the first season, is Sikandar Kher. The actor is silent for the most part but the guilt he carries throughout the series of killing Tej is shown well.

Out of the three children of Aarya, only Arundhati Sareen (Virti Vaghani) is given more storyline. She is shown as someone going through PTSD and attempting suicide several times. Her character arc is pretty dark and apt going by what several teens go through after witnessing a tragic event in their family.

Other actors, namely Ankur Bhatia as Sangram, Sugandha Garg as Hina, Maya Sarao as Maya, Vishwajeet Pradhan as Sampat, and Vikas Kumar as ACP Younnes Khan, have done a good job of keeping the season going.

Kumar as Khan brings actual terror into Aarya's life and his behaviour changes are shocking, to say the least. On the other hand, Dilnaz Irani as cunning public prosecutor Shefali Gupta is mind-blowing and will leave you asking for more. So is Geetanjali Kulkarni as a tough yet corrupted cop Sushila Shekhar.

Aarya's journey of becoming mom to don gets a full circle in the second season. She realises that no matter how much she tries to escape, she will be forced back to her roots to take matters into her own hands.

The unique dialoguebaazi in this one continues, giving the top-notch drama a filmy touch. Some puns are indeed funny, despite being given in serious situations.

Sanyuktha Chawla Shaikh and Anu Singh Choudhary’s screenplay falters slightly, giving the series a slow-burn approach stretching to eight episodes. But it’s the actors, especially Sushmita to hold the fort and make it a compelling watch.

Talking about the music, the series, like the previous one, continues to pay homage to the retro era. The Bade Achhe Lagte Hai song in Chandrachur's rendition is heard several times, and it's soothing but gives an emotional depth to the sequence. But one song which stayed with me is Nakhrewali by Kishore Kumar, which plays in the background for Aarya (Sushmita).

The second season gives me hope for the third season. I hope to see another one, just with the hope that it gets better and more thriller-like than the first season.

Aarya season 2 might not have surpassed the first season, but it makes for a decent watch owing to the power-packed performances by Sushmita Sen and others.