When i heard that Aarya is a remake of Dutch series Penoza, i was keen to watch the original, but 5 season for the original put me off. So decided try my luck with the Indian version directed by Neerja film director Ram M and i have to say i was pleasantly surprised by the outcome. This slow brooding drama is high on emotional quotient. The casting is pitch perfect and this is one of those shows which had some beautiful looking characters all around irrespective of them being protagonist or antagonist. Its a fine quality production value series. In terms of story its the age old "God Father" type setting directed in a pure Indian cultural context. Its a tailor made return outing for the gorgeous looking Sushmita Sen. She carried the role with poise and elegance in most part. I dont want comment too much on the acting though, but style wise there is no match. She looked splendid on screen. The retro song fitted perfectly for her (Bade ache lagte hain....). Its a well etched out character study with a beautifully shot climax portion. One of the characters quotes this, In India, you cant just marry the daughter , you marry the whole family. And sometimes the family can either be bone or bane. But you cant give up on the family and you have to overcome the obstacles. There is a nice metaphor of Bhagavad Gita centered around Arjuns dilemma and Krishn's response to that in this series which fitted very well in climax. The battle has to be won no matter what. I just couldn't recognize Chandrachur Singh (chappa chappa charka chale song fame), and for a second, i thought its Shashi Tharoor on screen. The only flip side, its really over stretched and a six episode trim would have done wonders. As its termed as family drama, every one in the family and friends had a story to tell which i felt wasn't that necessary for this show. I recommend it if you wanted to try a slow burner thriller.
Verdict - 3.5/5(The call of duty)