Aranyak (2021)

Watchseries; I have seen some Indian crime documentary productions recently. They were really good. This is now the first fiction series. I think they have done a good job. It is a good mix of whodunnit, mystery and serial killer thriller. There are some surprising twists at the end and a good cliffhanger. Only the female lead comes across as very unlikeable and was probably installed by Netflix. The Uttar Pradesh setting was also less than spectacular for India. More could have been taken out of it.

I have seen some Indian crime documentary productions recently. They were really good. This is now the first fiction series. I think they have done a good job. It is a good mix of whodunnit, mystery and serial killer thriller. There are some surprising twists at the end and a good cliffhanger. Only the female lead comes across as very unlikeable and was probably installed by Netflix. The Uttar Pradesh setting was also less than spectacular for India. More could have been taken out of it.

Aranyak watchseries. This Web Series Did Very Good Performance. Specially Raveena Tandon & Parambrata Chattopadhyay & Aashutosh Rana & Meghna Malik & Zakir Hussain Did Good Acting.

The show was BRILLIANTLY shot, extra marks for the good cinematography and sound, well written and edited. Raveena, Parambrata steal the show playing the cops, it was interesting to see Ashutosh Rana still doing it, good for him!

They do enough to build the story up, which is seemingly all over the place, but they do a good job of bringing everything together.

The misdirection was a little too deliberate - if you know, you know; can't reveal. While they do a good job of tying up all lose ends, there are a few that you might not feel content about. The show is nothing mindblowing, but I thought the 8 episodes were worth the time.

Would totally recommend!

Sironah is a town where tension is always in the air and there's barely a light moment in anyone's life here. Everyone here seems to be hiding some kind of a secret. And it takes one major crime after 19 years to send the police on a wild goose chase of an elusive rapist and serial killer, who is also suspected to be a half-man-half-leopard creature that is part of the village folklore.

The story is driven by two very talented actors - Raveena Tandon and Parambrata Chattopadhyay, who dominate the screentime. Raveena is extremely apt for a righteous and straight-talking police officer, who is clumsy in the kitchen but on the dot when it comes to her cop duties. It's a delight to watch her play Kasturi's pride and prejudice towards her town and its people so effortlessly. Raveena makes her full-fledged appearance after a long time totally worth the wait. Parambrata Chattopadhyay shows equal restraint and makes his character likable with amazing ease. Their unconventional jodi is the spark that powers the show saddled with a script that meanders a lot before coming to the point.

Among the rest of the cast, Meghna Malik is convincing as a manipulative yet wise minister Jagdamba. Zakir Hussian and Ashutosh Rana are repetitive in their respective roles of a scheming power-hungry politician and a retired policeman, stuck in time, who won't stop looking for clues to solve the big case. Both have played such similar characters many times before. Among the younger cast, Taneesha Joshi as Kasturi's teenage daughter Nutan and Wishvesh Sharkholi as her vulnerable boyfriend Bunty, give noteworthy performances.

Another highlight is the setting of a wintery small town and the naturally beautiful shots of the snow-capped mountains and the woods. This adds a constant chill in the proceedings and builds the atmosphere for a thrilling ride. At the core of this whodunit are human relationships and bonds within a family. Some of the scenes between Kasturi and her daughter are heart-warming.

The premise of Raveena Tandon-starrer 'Aranyak' isn't new nor is the setting of a sleepy small-town being rocked by a murder something that we haven't seen before, especially on OTT. Yet, this show produced by Rohan Sippy and Siddharth Roy Kapur, written by Charudutt Acharya and directed by Vinay Waikul, builds a strong sense of mystery and constant suspense that keeps it going. Sure, 'Aranyak' isn't the best in its genre but is certainly a well-made show that scores on nuanced performances and thrilling moments.

After a long hiatus since the enjoyable 'Maatr' in 2017, Raveena Tandon makes a grand comeback in the taut, suspenseful 'Aranyak' which premiered this weekend on Netflix. The legendary Bollywood actress ably anchors a mazy whodunit that keeps you guessing till the very end.

The Indian obsession with thrillers set in hill-stations continues even after similar themes used in Sony Liv's Undekhi (2020), Amazon Prime's The Last Hour (2021)Voot Select's Candy (2021). Set in the picturesque snowcapped hills of rural Haryana, 'Aranyak' follows the journey of two police officers as they look to hunt down a dreaded serial killer.

However, Aranyak scores over the afore-mentioned series' by generating immense suspense at the end of each episode and finally, tying together its myriad characters and plot points to form a breathtaking tapestry of a climax. The series is a beautiful blend of inter-connected themes depicting marital troubles, political machinations and investigative prowess all without missing a beat.

Aranyak derives its title from a famous Bengali novel by Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay, literally translating to 'of the jungle'. And true to its name, the series paints an intricate display of how it is the human beings in the hillside town that are to be feared more than the wild animals in the forest bordering it.

Raveena Tandon nails the Haryanvi accent and oozes gravitas as the tough-as-nails cop 'Kasturi Dogra' while Parambrata Chatterjee is an absolute revelation as the troubled but moralistic officer 'Angad Mallik'. It was an absolute delight to see the super-talented Chatterjee being given an impactful role, long after he delighted us in Kahaani (2012). Hopefully, with this performance, Bollywood takes note of his talents and grants him better roles.

Ashutosh Rana seems to get better with age and follows up his recent Filmfare OTT Award for Best Supporting Actor (for Pagglait) with another sensational performance as the archetypal 'retired cope still haunted by the killer that got away'. Despite the oft-repeated character arc given to him, the seasoned actor generates his own distinctive style and nuance to the performance, that keeps us fully locked in.

Zakir Hussain is expectedly terrific as the doyen of the village's politics while the teenage actors Tejaswi Yadav (the Joffrey Baratheon-esque 'Kanti'), Taneesha Joshi ('Nutan') and Wishvesh Sharkholi ('Bunty') delight with performances that belie their tender age.

Director Vinay Waikul threads the needle by managing to satisfy the viewers with just enough closure for season 1 while leaving just enough open threads and unanswered questions to keep us hoping for a season 2. A fine OTT debut from Raveena Tandon! Recommended.

Tu Cheez bari hai mast mast girl, after years of cheesy and sloppy movies, is on the screen with one powerful performance. And it is indeed worth to watch.

Suspense, thrill, good twists till the very end, which will keep you on the toes and thirsty for every next episode.

Compression with other series is not fair, as in some reviews.

Do watch this.