Aranyak

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 👍👍

As the SHO of the idyllic town of Sironah, Kasturi (Raveena Tandon) prepares to go on a year's sabbatical to help her young daughter prepare for her competitive exams, her replacement Angad Mallik (Parambrata Chatterjee) arrives to take charge. The two are like chalk and cheese in personal and professional attributes because of their socio-geographic differences, and undercurrents get into play almost immediately. But before either can settle into their respective new role, a young French tourist girl Aimee is reported missing by her mother Julie Baptiste, who appears high on drugs. Soon afterwards, her corpse is found hanging from a tree in the adjoining forest area with injury marks allegedly inflicted by an animal. A dormant folklore comes alive - could it be the legendary man-leopard who had claimed 19 lives almost two decades ago be responsible for the death? Kasturi is convinced it is the case indeed, whilst Angad doesn't believe in this hash, he trusts that it's the deed of someone from the town itself, perhaps in connection with the drugs found in the possession of the mother of the dead girl.

The situation requires Kasturi and Angad to collaborate despite their ideological differences and the mutual dislike for each other to nail down the culprit, the legend or human as the case may be.

Aranyak is India's answer to Kate Winslet's "The Mare of Easttown", producers Ramesh Sippy and Siddharth Roy Kapoor leave no stone unturned to ensure that the series is a high class, glossy, gripping and suspenseful output. Director Vinay Waikul keeps matters focused, taut and fast paced enough to make Aranyak a bingeworthy series. Ravenna Tandon is impressive in her essay of the small town police chief who has to balance family with her duties, whilst dealing with local political bigwigs and family friends under investigation delicately. But where she suffers is her inconsistent accent of the Hindi dialect she has to mouth. There are directorial flaws in projecting her as the SHO who hasn't heard the term "jugular vein" or her tacit belief in the folklore of the man-leopard associated with the crimes. The medical officer who undertakes the autopsy also firmly alludes to the same, subscribing to the local people's opinion, which shows small town government office bearers in poor light and somewhat derogatory. Parambrata gives a sombre and suave performance with the best dialogues and one liners having been reserved for him. Ashutosh Rana, Brechfa Khan, Meghna Malik, Indranil Sengupta, Zakir Hussain and Lalit Parimoo add credibility to the suspense with great performances. Saurabh Goswami's cinematography, Yasha Ramchandani's editing and writing by Rohan Sippy & Charudutt Acharya are laudable.

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.

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!

As opposed to widespread expectations, the show commences on a somewhat timid note. At the introductory phases, I was neither convinced about its efficacy nor was I very fond of its rather estranged way of presentation.

Thankfully, as the story unfolds; I gradually and then eventually reached a point where I could say with much certainty that I'm pretty impressed with what they had in their offerings.

Despite having a handful of infrequent missteps, and even a comparatively unstable screenplay; the storyline due to being compelling in nature, was able to get a hold of my attention till the very end. The characters are well defined, and I love how the writers had voluntarily given everybody a different motive to fiddle with.

Each character; be it the protagonists or the supporting ones, had distinctive reasons for which they ultimately fit in the said scenario.

And the whole ensemble's dedication and earnestness to their respective roles are nothing but testimonies to my statement! Parambrata Chatterjee, Raveena Tandon; both showcased their versions of dominant performances here. Their dynamic, the chemistry shared by these two veterans is something worth rooting for.

Speaking of others, there are no complaints from my end whatsoever. Regardless, I do have some issues with its relatively unskillful technical sides. Don't get me wrong, they aren't anything dreadful; it's just that for a Netflix Original, things were rather crammed with mediocrity. Unlike the conventionally higher standards, Netflix tends to follow!