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Aranyak Web Series Review: Raveena Tandon & Parambrata Chatterjee's Netflix Show Is Well Executed Thriller
Aranyak has the storyline pinned down to the format of similar shows about drugs and crime but the execution does the cast proud. Raveena Tandon makes a strong return along with Parambrata Chatterjee who leaves room for
Available
On:
Netflix
Duration:
8
Episodes
/
45
Minutes
Language:
Hindi
Trigger
Warnings:
Rape
&
Suicide
Plot: Aranyak set in a small town in Himachal, follows a local cop Kasturi as she is about to start her one year break from duty to focus on her family. However, just as her replacement Angad arrives, so does the biggest cast the town has ever seen. The two must join hands to dig up skeletons and revive a forgotten myth of a bloodthirsty, serial killing entity in the forest.
Review: Aranyak not only marked Raveena Tandon's debut on a digital platform but also shows off the talented cast including Raveena, Parambrata Chatterjee, Ashutosh Rana and young actors Taneesha Joshi and Wishvesh Sharkholi. The show pulls the audience in with a promise of a gritty story of a four-legged beast but shows the true colours of two-legged beasts which turns out to be worse.
In the last year, several shows set in small-town have used the theme of supernatural myths to embrace the dark human behaviour in fiction, however, Aranyak sets the balance right. With a subsequent number of characters and proof on both sides, it is hard to judge if one should believe in the myth called leopard-man. Even though it hasn't been confirmed till the end, it is the human nature that will leave most biting their nails by the last episode.
The show follows Kasturi Dogra who is set to take a year-long leave from police duty to focus on her family. With a daughter who took over the nurturing responsibility at home, with her set to give her IIT entrance exam Kasturi decides its time for her to share the load. However, just as she hands over the charge to a new city-break English spewing officer, Angad, the biggest case the town has ever seen lands in her office.
A foreigner's daughter goes missing in a small town, which is known for doing things its own way including the drug trade, political games and industrial turf. With lines drawn it becomes hard for the two officers to investigate individually. Angad and Kasturi soon realise it's best in their favour to work the case together, however, the deeper they dig into the case the harder it becomes to close.
The makers have created a world of fiction in Sironah intricately with each character's individual motive. While the first episodes feel slow as the world-building takes time, the second half of the show is bound to keep the audience hooked trying to figure out the truth. The history of the town also plays an important role, as the locals believe all killings are that of the leopard-man, the men and women in charge find it hard to believe.
Meanwhile, both the leads, Kasturi and Angad make the biggest impact. Raveen Tandon as Kasturi Dogra is not only a powerful officer of the law in the uniform but she is also a mother, a fellow woman but also ends up being the sound of reason. On the other hand, Angad played by Parambrata Chatterjee, seems like the reliable officer but his backstory makes for an interesting character with a twisted arc.
The show sensitively also explores several topics like rape, suicide, peer pressure, mental health and more. Unfortunately, it does seem to take the centre stage in the second half of the show, taking the thunder away from the cast. The screenplay begins the story but losses itself in the middle to several subplots, however, it does manage to end on a strong note. With a possible hint of return with season 2.
Overall, Aranyak has the storyline pinned down to the format of similar shows about drugs and crime but the execution does the cast proud. Raveena Tandon makes a strong return along with Parambrata Chatterjee who leaves hope for more in season 2.
