Aranyak

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.

Web series review: Aranyak streaming on Netflix #sanjuzzreviews #AranyakOnNetflix #Aranyak

Awesome, fabulous & intriguing are some of the adjectives to describe this engaging crime thriller with supernatural overtones!!

Can't believe that I binge-watched this one in a single day ... 8 episodes straight !!

Political manipulation, personal agendas along with the threat of a murderous supernatural entity terrorizing a quaint hillstation in Himachal Pradesh forms the central plot of this web series.

Two mismatched police officers Raveena Tandon & Pramabratta Chattopadhyay race against time to solve the murder of a young foreigner. However there is more than what meets the eye. She is murdered in the same manner as 9 other women who were raped and hung from trees in the dense forest 19 yrs ago. Locals fear that it is a supernatural entity who is responsible for these murders. Police suspect that it is the work of a serial killer who has returned after a long hiatus of 19 yrs. Who is responsible.. a supernatural entity, a serial killer or something else is what this series is all about.

Parmabhrata, Raveena and Ashutosh Rana are the protagonists who try to decipher the riddle. Other members of the cast too have done a great job.

Lots of twists and turns, great cinematography, slick direction, an ominous background score which compliments the storyline perfectly are the high points of this web series.

Won't reveal much .. if you have liked Asur ( Voot), The Last Hour( Prime Video) , Candy (Voot) , you will definitely enjoy this one.

Highly recommended!!! Go for it .. simply gripping like an unputdownable book that you must finish at one go !!

My rating 4/5 .... Adios !! 🙂

P. S.: season 2 of this web series has already been given a go ahead 👍👍

Not a perfect series but has its own merits. Have seen some critic reviews calling out ridiculous (btw same critics who praised below average dumbsters ) and all i can say is that its not ridiculous. Good acting , not so bad script and suspense is not missing from this series. Had its hiccups here and there but doesn't disappoint the viewers.

I see a lot of negative reviews about the first episode being a collage of random events. Well, that's how the story comes along!

Good script, good acting, nice build up of the story.

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!