Aarya returns

Reminiscent of The Godfather in several instances, but very loosely, Aarya returns amid her desperate bid to protect her children. Manipulated and forced to return to see the last of the family that turned her life upside down, a sudden weak moment in her life turns the table once again in the favour of her enemies. All of a sudden, she finds herself stranded in the midst of threats from foreign syndicates, the Shekhawat clan and the police and the legal system, some representing for their cause, some harbouring agenda, both personal and sometimes, grossly selfish. The Shekhawat chief has vengeance in his mind for the son, whose murder she orchestrated. The foreigners demand compensation for the immense loss of their smuggled goods and lays conditions that are limited by time and threatening to life. The police tries to reframe the case and nab the underworld families that Aarya hails from. If that was not enough, the daughter with suicidal tendencies and the depression of the youngest son only add to her worried routine, not to mention of the confiscated passports that limit her escape shelters. In a world, where siblings turn bitter rivals, mothers are forced to unveil frightening truths, fathers stoop low to kill their owns, lawlessness is maintained by majority of the apparent lawfuls while hated assassins turn dependable accomplices. Thirst for revenge propels chaos while fear drives order away.

Will Aarya be able to manage this ordeal? Can she really protect her dear ones? Which path will Aarya choose - protecting the family she loves or complete control? This and much more awaits the 2^nd season of Aarya which is full of predictive twists.

The season that promised suspense is marred by the excess length and that too with one episode shorter than the 9 episode premiere. The plot is more or less predictive but entertaining and the suspense is quite gripping at times. Deftly designed with characters, each a shade darker than the next, the episodes lack their deserving charm due to the irritating slowness between critical sequences. However, the final ten minutes of the season finale will compensate for the entire narrative with a chromatic collage, readily resonating with the underlying theme in its varied hues.

Created by Ram Madhvani that focusses substantially on a single character, the series is a sombre reminder of the darkness that prevails in the struggle for control. As to the acting, Sushmita Sen is fantastic in the titular role as the desperate mother yet a stubborn strategist who will bend for her family but will retaliate when cornered with a force that is borne out of a will to protect and secure. With determination etched on her face, Sen is the backbone of the series but for a few moments of emotional outbursts, where her performance seemed imperfectly stretched. Vikas Kumar reprises the role of ACP Younus Khan and is perfect in his portraiture of the enforcement person, with a mind torn between his desperate attempts at nabbing the faulty and the ethical faults that he commits against what his duty demands. With a personal life tottering at hinges, Khan represents the law enforcement agent who can be cruelly correct while realistically wavering when on edge. Vikas Kumar characterizes the irritating interrogator in Khan to perfection who is earnest in his work while being honest to his heart. Dilnaz Irani is another natural as the public prosecutor Shefali Gupta, assigned to bring down the Zorawars and the Shekhawats, for which she will stop at nothing to validate evidence. The actor brings out the spiteful character of Gupta and is precise in her characterization of the shrewd opportunist. Sugandha Garg as the impulsive Hina reminds us of Talia Shire in The Godfather particularly in the sequence while Hina hurls abuse in a state of drunkenness as she tries to tackle the stark reality of the unemotional world. Sikandar Kher plays the major henchman of the Zorawars, Daulat while Vishwajeet Pradhan starts as his counterpart in the Shekhawat clan, Sampat but as one plays the role of the cold blooded killer who rarely smirks at any order, the other shows a surprise softness in the heart, both marking pivotal moments in either seasons of the series. Masked with lies and blotted with blood, the series is a contrast to the regular crime drama as instead of basking in guilty pleasure, each episode is a reminder to the collateral tragedies, inherently associated with crime.