Aarya season 3 review: Part 1 of this season is just the start of Aarya's moralistic battle with her profession as a working mother as she is cornered not by just the outside world but her family too!
Aarya season 3 part 1 review: Given that the world of OTT has grown and has become expansive, I have always thought about how Aarya will continue to weave its magic considering it's one of those few shows that came and rose to fame in the pandemic when not much was releasing. To my surprise, in the third installment of this enthralling show, Ram Madhvani, and Sushmita Sen don't lose touch or focus on continuing to build the same world and tell the tale of the people they started with in the first season almost three years ago.
Aarya's brilliance since its inception lies in the fact that there are no heroes or villains just human beings acting and reacting to situations while being in the business of drugs. Aarya Sareen (Sushmita Sen), after two seasons of running away, being betrayed and burned from her family's dirty laundry and reluctantly joining the cartel business only to save her children, is now the formidable kingpin working for the Russians. She is ruthless yet respectful all at once!
Now, we have always witnessed the trope of a ghayal sher rising to become a hero from his wounds and trauma, similarly, this is a ghayal sherni who takes her claws out only when it is entirely necessary. This means that killing has always been the last resort for Aarya and is carried out to save and protect her family. But how long can you use this defense to create an arc for a hero? After all, 'you either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become a villain', and this season focuses on Aarya's moralistic battle while being cornered from everywhere by betraying Russians, a husband's revenge for his wife, dangerous contemporaries but also her children growing up and their perception of her.
Also Read: Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2023 Day 6: Borderlands and Follower review
If I had to describe these first four episodes in a nutshell, I would say they are all about how hurt people hurt people as Sooraj (Indraneil Sengupta), consumed by his grief, goes blind with rage. We are introduced to an eccentric character - Nalini (Ila Arun), Aarya's contemporary nemesis, whose already established business is hampered by Aarya's growth. As ACP Khan (Vikas Kumar) with little luck on his side still tries to catch Aarya Sareen, Veer (Viren Vazirani), Aarya's son battles for his love and loyalty towards his mother which is unwavering slowly.
As Aarya, Sen is charming, irresistible, and cannot be ignored! The subtlety with which she portrays shades of Aarya in a measured calm performance is balanced with chaos and that only firms your belief in this story of a woman who happens to be a working mother fighting various battles altogether with grace. Her supporting cast supports her quite well to make her into this daunting towering figure! This season has to be applauded for taking an uncharted path that crime thrillers usually do not take. As it is not afraid to look within its protagonist's motives toward her next moves, because now when the power is in her hands to wield, is she really doing things for her family or is it just fun in the business which she earlier considered monstrous?
In spite of being an adaptation of a foreign show, this one is culturally rooted. Case in point - the Sanskrit shlok filled background score, Rajasthan essence with the lanes, Sampath and his goons. The only thing that irritates me is the over-top use of poetry that spells out what is visible visually because this takes away from the show's experience. But I am vested and eagerly waiting for the second part of Aarya season 3 as I cannot wait to see Nalini (Arun) vs Aarya (Sen) as Nalini looks like the spitting image of Aarya's future that she is afraid to turn into!
Aarya Season 3 Part 1 is currently streaming on Disney+ Hotstar!
For more entertainment and updates, follow us on @socialketchupbinge