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Aarya season 2 web series review: Sushmita Sen manages to outdo herself from season 1 in Ram Madhvani's compelling crime thriller

After having handed over her husband's killers to the cops and crumbling a thriving drug syndicate, Aarya (Sushmita Sen) is coerced into abandoning her witness protection program and returning to India with her kids, rekindling old ties with the family she wants nothing to forget and ignites enmity with others who suffered both personal and financial losses at her hands

By Russel D'Silva
Published: December 10, 2021 11:29 AM IST

Web Series: Aarya 2
Aarya 2 Cast: Sushmita Sen, Sikandar Kher, Vikas Kumar, Ankur Bhatia, Viren Vazirani, Jayant Kripalani, Virti Vaghani, Sugandha Garg, Sohaila Kapur, Maya Sarao, Vishwajeet Pradhan
Aarya 2 Director: Ram Madhvani, Vinod Rawat, Kapil Sharma
Where to Watch: Disney+ Hotstar
Review by: Russel D'Silva Also Read - Bholaa stars Ajay Devgn and Tabu impress the crowd with their dapper and glamorous look on The Kapil Sharma Show Set [Watch Video]

Aarya season 1 reminded one and all of the tragedy of Sushmita Sen in Bollywood – an actress who not only possesses incredible talent to embody any character and emote the hell out of any scene, but also one who exudes every bit of the star persona necessary from a leading lady. Thankfully, she got her due years later with Ram Madhvani's web series on Disney+ Hotstar. Now, with Aarya season 2 arriving, everyone is keep to know whether it lives up to the lofty standards of its first round – always a tough act – and does Sushmita Sen again remind one and all what we had missed in years past? Well, the answer to the second query is an emphatic yes, while it's an 'almost yes' for the first one. Also Read - Star-studded Screening of Bheed with Taapsee Pannu, Kapil Sharma, and Rajeev Thakur and more [Watch Video]

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So, are you excited about what to watch this weekend or what to watch this week and wondering whether Aarya season 2 is worth your time? Scroll down for my full Aarya season 2 review... Also Read - Zwigato stars Kapil Sharma and Shahana Goswami play the ultimate food quiz and it's hilarious [Exclusive]

What's it about

After having handed over her husband's killers to the cops and singlehandedly crumbling a thriving drug syndicate, Aarya (Sushmita Sen) is coerced into abandoning her witness protection program and returning to India with her kids, which rekindles old ties with the family she wants nothing to do with anymore and ignites enmity with others who're gunning for her head due to the personal and financial losses she cost them.

Watch the Aarya season 2 trailer below...

What's hot

SUSHMITA SEN! SUSHMITA SEN! SUSHMITA SEN! The actress supersedes her already superlative act from the first season, and you end up being swayed away with every tear, laughter, moment of pain, instance of vulnerability or showcases of untold strength. The rest of the case also pitch in perfect acts, but they can't help being blown away by the force that is Sushmita. Coming to the web series itself, Ram Madhvani takes the plot forward in the best and most logical way, come to think of it, in order to place Aarya and her kids back at loggerhead both with her family and enemies, besides creating new problems for her. The drama is again tightly wound even it's a bit of a slow-burn this time around and the surprise elements as well as crime shenanigans are once more, dark and gritty enough to keep you hooked.

What's not

Where Aarya 2 falters slightly is in the sequences which seem slightly drawn out for the sake of accommodating eight episodes 35-40 minutes each, which belies rationality – why not simply churn out six episodes or perhaps eight episodes of 20-25 minutes each? Plus, while some of the slow-burn scenes appear organic, others seem deliberate, again, to just fill the space. What's more, the show abandons its thrill-a-minute crime yarn for a 'periodically thrilling, interspersed with a soap-operatic' feel, and that's where it misses being as great as its first season.

BL Verdict

While Aarya season 2 is still a compelling crime thriller even if it isn't as pulsating as its first season, Sushmita Sen more than makes up for that slight dip with a tour de force that towers over her already superlative act the first time around, reminding one and all that Bollywood sorely missed tapping into bother her dexterity and star aura. I'm going with 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Rating : 3.5 out of 5

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ByRussel D'Silva
Published: December 10, 2021 11:29 AM IST