REVIEW: Sironah is a town where tension is always in the air and there’s barely a light moment in anyone’s life here. Everyone here seems to be hiding some kind of a secret. And it takes one major crime after 19 years to send the police on a wild goose chase of an elusive rapist and killer, who is also suspected to be a half-man-half-leopard creature that is part of the village folklore.
Set across eight long episodes, one cannot help but wonder why the makers need to spend so much time setting the context, having so many subplots and characters, some literally counter-productive to the story and make us wait right until the end for the big reveal. This, when it has been time and again proven how crisp and succinct storytelling works wonders. The sheer runtime of ‘Aranyak’ hurts it more than anything else because the show’s plot seems like it could have been easily summarised in a feature film without losing its essence of darkness and secrecy. And because the screenplay is spread so thinly across the episodes, it tends to become weak and laborious.
Thankfully, the story is driven by two very talented actors – Raveena Tandon and Parambrata Chattopadhyay, who dominate the screentime. Raveena is extremely apt for a righteous and straight-talking police officer, who is clumsy in the kitchen but on the dot when it comes to her cop duties. It’s a delight to watch her play Kasturi’s pride and prejudice towards her town and its people so effortlessly. Raveena makes her full-fledged appearance after a long time totally worth the wait. Parambrata Chattopadhyay shows equal restraint and makes his character likable with amazing ease. Their unconventional jodi is the spark that powers the show saddled with a script that meanders a lot before coming to the point.
Among the rest of the cast, Meghna Malik is convincing as a manipulative yet wise minister Jagdamba. Zakir Hussian and Ashutosh Rana are repetitive in their respective roles of a scheming power-hungry politician and a retired policeman, stuck in time, who won’t stop looking for clues to solve the big case. Both have played such similar characters many times before. Among the younger cast, Taneesha Joshi as Kasturi’s teenage daughter Nutan and Wishvesh Sharkholi as her vulnerable boyfriend Bunty, give noteworthy performances.
Another highlight is the setting of a wintery small town and the naturally beautiful shots of the snow-capped mountains and the woods. This adds a constant chill in the proceedings and builds the atmosphere for a thrilling ride. At the core of this whodunit are human relationships and bonds within a family. Some of the scenes between Kasturi and her daughter are heartwarming.
The premise of Raveena Tandon-starrer ‘Aranyak’ isn’t new nor is the setting of a sleepy small-town being rocked by a murder something that we haven’t seen before, especially on OTT. Yet, this show produced by Rohan Sippy and Siddharth Roy Kapur, written by Charudutt Acharya and directed by Vinay Waikul, builds a strong sense of mystery and constant suspense that keeps it going. Sure, ‘Aranyak’ isn’t the best in its genre but is certainly a well-made show that scores on nuanced performances and thrilling moments.
