Aarya season 2’s plot is better than that of season 1. The editing has improved, thank god for that. If you are wondering why am I saying that, please read the Aarya season 1 review before you continue reading this review.
So yes, I liked the plot. To sum it up, I would say it’s a tigress’ story who is bravely fighting every dangerous animal in the jungle who could harm her and her cubs. But this human tigress also breaks down at times. Fear paralyzes her as well. She is new to this jungle and desperately wants to get out of it but… will she be able to escape? Or will she kill? What if she becomes the prey? You can’t see a tigress lose, can you? This story has a lot of potential. It’s heavy on emotions. It has the power to play with your mind, to scare you, freeze you, make you cry, make you smile, and at times, make you pray for the safety of the lead character.
Unfortunately, you feel none of these emotions while watching the show. You watch Aarya 2 with a straight face. That is where Aarya fails. Reason?
Sushmita Sen in Aarya is exactly the personality you see on screen or know through interviews. This makes the character and her reactions to every event in the series very predictable. This is where the exact problem lies. As I have said in my previous reviews, actors make OTT, celebs don’t.
Bollywood actors should remember that if they want to make an impact on OTT, they will have to shed their old skin and relaunch their career as an actor. They should, at any cost, not enter the space with a superstar status. It doesn’t work on OTT.
Personalities mesmerize you on big screens. You get blinded by their charm in theaters. The digital screen is strictly for actors. Only good performances stun the audience here.
You know what is the main problem with casting a celebrity? The entire team starts focusing on selling the celeb to you, not the story, not the show. The show and plot comes second, their priority being the star and their marketing budget.
Please remember that stars are not salesmen/women. They cannot save a film or show if your direction is weak or the storyline isn’t impressive. Bad movies have often ruined great careers. If stars really mattered, people’s choice wouldn’t have been shows like Panchayat or Scam 1992. And if stars or superstars really had the capacity to make a show or film a hit, Gulabo Sitabo would have broken all the OTT records.
And not just Sushmita Sen, I am speaking about her at length here because she is the face of the show. The story revolves around her. But if you take a close look at the performances, none of them are impressive or impactful. In that case, the Director should shoulder the responsibility of collective failure here.
I will keep this review short because honestly, there is nothing much to say here. I would suggest you invest your time in better shows. There are many out there…
Streaming On: DisneyPlus Hotstar