Aranyak (2021– ) User Reviews

Highly engaging & Gripping thriller!! Go watch it 👍👍

[sanjubhat · 9/10 · 11 December 2021]

Web series review: Aranyak streaming on Netflix #sanjuzzreviews #AranyakOnNetflix #Aranyak

Awesome, fabulous & intriguing are some of the adjectives to describe this engaging crime thriller with supernatural overtones!!

Can't believe that I binge-watched this one in a single day ... 8 episodes straight !!

Political manipulation, personal agendas along with the threat of a murderous supernatural entity terrorizing a quaint hillstation in Himachal Pradesh forms the central plot of this web series.

Two mismatched police officers Raveena Tandon & Pramabratta Chattopadhyay race against time to solve the murder of a young foreigner. However there is more than what meets the eye. She is murdered in the same manner as 9 other women who were raped and hung from trees in the dense forest 19 yrs ago. Locals fear that it is a supernatural entity who is responsible for these murders. Police suspect that it is the work of a serial killer who has returned after a long hiatus of 19 yrs. Who is responsible.. a supernatural entity, a serial killer or something else is what this series is all about.

Parmabhrata, Raveena and Ashutosh Rana are the protagonists who try to decipher the riddle. Other members of the cast too have done a great job.

Lots of twists and turns, great cinematography, slick direction, an ominous background score which compliments the storyline perfectly are the high points of this web series.

Won't reveal much .. if you have liked Asur ( Voot), The Last Hour( Prime Video) , Candy (Voot) , you will definitely enjoy this one.

Highly recommended!!! Go for it .. simply gripping like an unputdownable book that you must finish at one go !!

My rating 4/5 .... Adios !! 🙂

P. S.: season 2 of this web series has already been given a go ahead 👍👍

Amazing and superb series

[shovonbhattacharjee · 8/10 · 3 January 2022]

The story line of the series is just amazing and acting is just superb. Story has a big suspense that you will find on last episode but overall the every episode of the series has some mysterious story. Acting is top notch. Overall very good series with an amazing and mysterious story.

Starts on a Weaker Note, Finishes on a Higher Level!

[SoumikBanerjee1996 · 7/10 · 12 December 2021]

As opposed to widespread expectations, the show commences on a somewhat timid note. At the introductory phases, I was neither convinced about its efficacy nor was I very fond of its rather estranged way of presentation.

Thankfully, as the story unfolds; I gradually and then eventually reached a point where I could say with much certainty that I'm pretty impressed with what they had in their offerings.

Despite having a handful of infrequent missteps, and even a comparatively unstable screenplay; the storyline due to being compelling in nature, was able to get a hold of my attention till the very end. The characters are well defined, and I love how the writers had voluntarily given everybody a different motive to fiddle with.

Each character; be it the protagonists or the supporting ones, had distinctive reasons for which they ultimately fit in the said scenario.

And the whole ensemble's dedication and earnestness to their respective roles are nothing but testimonies to my statement! Parambrata Chatterjee, Raveena Tandon; both showcased their versions of dominant performances here. Their dynamic, the chemistry shared by these two veterans is something worth rooting for.

Speaking of others, there are no complaints from my end whatsoever. Regardless, I do have some issues with its relatively unskillful technical sides. Don't get me wrong, they aren't anything dreadful; it's just that for a Netflix Original, things were rather crammed with mediocrity. Unlike the conventionally higher standards, Netflix tends to follow!

Very well made

[avi-42883 · 9/10 · 11 December 2021]

I see a lot of negative reviews about the first episode being a collage of random events. Well, that's how the story comes along!

Good script, good acting, nice build up of the story.

It's Very Good

[rikenpatel-02979 · 9/10 · 20 December 2021]

This Web Series Did Very Good Performance. Specially Raveena Tandon & Parambrata Chattopadhyay & Aashutosh Rana & Meghna Malik & Zakir Hussain Did Good Acting.

A solid murder mystery with plenty of intrigue

[Tweekums · 9/10 · 15 December 2021]

This Indian crime drama opens during a school play; an adult actor dressed as a leopard leads a child, dressed as a rabbit, off stage... so far it is all part of the play. The child is never seen again; the actor who was meant to play the leopard had been incapacitated and his costume was stolen. Some years later the boy's father, a policeman named Angad Malik, is assigned to a remote hill station. He is there to replace local police woman Kasturi Dogra who is due to take a year off. The two of them end up working together when the daughter of a French tourist is reported missing... after a body is fond links are made to an old case, which some locals believe was linked to a supernatural 'leopard man'. The investigation will see several suspects emerge as well as possible links to powerful people.

I really enjoyed this series. At only eight episodes in length it didn't drag but neither did id feel rushed. The central mystery is intriguing and kept me gripped from start to finish. I had no idea how it was going to work out. There are a decent number of suspects and plenty of secrets to be exposed; not all of them criminal but a desire to keep them secret could be considered a motive for murder. I liked the characters; especially our two leads; Parambrata Chattopadhyay and Raveena Tandon really impress as Malik and Dogra respectively. Their contrasting characters have a nicely developing chemistry. The setting is great with snow-capped mountains in the distance and the town surrounded by forest. The end wraps up many plot points but ultimately suggests more to come; I certainly hope we get further episodes. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to anybody looking for something different.

These comments are based on watching the series in Hindi with English subtitles.

Raveena Tandon anchors a terrific whodunit!

[nidhunmoviebuff · 8/10 · 12 December 2021]

After a long hiatus since the enjoyable 'Maatr' in 2017, Raveena Tandon makes a grand comeback in the taut, suspenseful 'Aranyak' which premiered this weekend on Netflix. The legendary Bollywood actress ably anchors a mazy whodunit that keeps you guessing till the very end.

The Indian obsession with thrillers set in hill-stations continues even after similar themes used in Sony Liv's Undekhi (2020), Amazon Prime's The Last Hour (2021)Voot Select's Candy (2021). Set in the picturesque snowcapped hills of rural Haryana, 'Aranyak' follows the journey of two police officers as they look to hunt down a dreaded serial killer.

However, Aranyak scores over the afore-mentioned series' by generating immense suspense at the end of each episode and finally, tying together its myriad characters and plot points to form a breathtaking tapestry of a climax. The series is a beautiful blend of inter-connected themes depicting marital troubles, political machinations and investigative prowess all without missing a beat.

Aranyak derives its title from a famous Bengali novel by Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay, literally translating to 'of the jungle'. And true to its name, the series paints an intricate display of how it is the human beings in the hillside town that are to be feared more than the wild animals in the forest bordering it.

Raveena Tandon nails the Haryanvi accent and oozes gravitas as the tough-as-nails cop 'Kasturi Dogra' while Parambrata Chatterjee is an absolute revelation as the troubled but moralistic officer 'Angad Mallik'. It was an absolute delight to see the super-talented Chatterjee being given an impactful role, long after he delighted us in Kahaani (2012). Hopefully, with this performance, Bollywood takes note of his talents and grants him better roles.

Ashutosh Rana seems to get better with age and follows up his recent Filmfare OTT Award for Best Supporting Actor (for Pagglait) with another sensational performance as the archetypal 'retired cope still haunted by the killer that got away'. Despite the oft-repeated character arc given to him, the seasoned actor generates his own distinctive style and nuance to the performance, that keeps us fully locked in.

Zakir Hussain is expectedly terrific as the doyen of the village's politics while the teenage actors Tejaswi Yadav (the Joffrey Baratheon-esque 'Kanti'), Taneesha Joshi ('Nutan') and Wishvesh Sharkholi ('Bunty') delight with performances that belie their tender age.

Director Vinay Waikul threads the needle by managing to satisfy the viewers with just enough closure for season 1 while leaving just enough open threads and unanswered questions to keep us hoping for a season 2. A fine OTT debut from Raveena Tandon! Recommended.

Pretty good detective series

[Calicodreamin · 7/10 · 13 December 2021]

There's a lot going on in this series, with more than one subplot, but it all works fairly well together. The main storyline is resolved but it definitely ends on a cliffhanger. The acting is fairly decent. Love that you can just back hand a suspect in India to get the truth.

A Netflix-grade crime thriller after months and years!

[sutithi · 9/10 · 11 December 2021]

Finally! An edge of the seat crime thriller thats worth each and every binge hour. Some salient points: 1. Great story. Hopefully not copied from somewhere.

2. Great actors. Especially Parambrata and Ashutosh Rana.

3. A female lead who is not Radhika Apte (thank you Netflix)

4. Nice portrayal of a daughter-in-law/father-in-law relationship

5. The mystery created by a slight touch of the supernatural that turned out to be credible in the end

Waiting for Rabbit's story to unfold in Season 2.

A great thriller. Good to see Raveena Tandon on screen!!!

[swdxc · 7/10 · 14 December 2021]

Really good thriller. Great location, I believe it's in Himanchal pradesh. The story keeps circling and moving forward. I would give a rating of 9-10; but the style is very similar to a French murder mystery show called 'The Break' that I watched 5-6 years ago, so took out points for not being 'that' original. Regardless of the ratings, just watch it if you love crime/murder/mystery.

Best Indian tv series on Netflix!

[Ripley666 · 8/10 · 11 December 2021]

I binge-watched this thoroughly enjoyable and intriguing tv series. This whodunnit with many twists and turns, engaging story-telling, good character development, stunning scenery and talented cast makes for great viewing. Raveena, Parambrata and Ashutosh were fantastic. This is without doubt the best Indian tv series on Netflix and one of the best tv shows across all Netflix offerings. This is far superior to the general melodramatic Bollywood creations. I sincerely hope that Netflix will renew it for more seasons.

Spectacularly well-shot but a little boring, although it picks up towards the end

[Peter_Young · 6/10 · 21 September 2022]

Okay, let's start with what makes this show truly a fascinating watch, and it is definitely its cinematographic excellence. Set in the breathtaking locales of Himachal, the show is tremendously well-shot, the lighting is perfect, and the photography does much to contribute to the film's mood and dark subject matter.

Sadly, script-wise, the show is not good enough, and there was quite a lot of room for improvement. The story becomes very hard to follow, and the pacing is very slow. Moreover, the entire mystery track does not manage to completely captivate, and it requires quite a lot of patience.

The flaws notwithstanding, the leading lady, Raveena Tandon, is very good. I've always been fond of Tandon, even in her younger days when she mostly played the pretty love interest of the action star in random masala films. Shool, Aks, Daman - were great assets in her career, and this one is a great turn.

The other half of the pair is Parambrata Chatterjee, and he is excellent - strong, conflicted, always letting the viewer sense his inner turmoil. I wish the show itself lives up to the great presence of these two, but it definitely picks up towards the end, and acquires enough energy.

Finally something worth watching.

[rudolphi · 11 December 2021]

And I have to say that this is the first fime in along time that I have seen something that's actually worth the time, that's hindi language. This series was highly engaging, suspensful and atmospheric. I absolutely loved the location this was set on. As for the actors these are quite high-profile actors so nothing bad can be said about the acting. I was particularly happy to see Ravenna tandon back as good as ever. I hope more of 90s actresses get these kind of projects going forward. I was also happy to see Ashuthosh Rana. Great actor by the way. And the male lead, i believe should definitely get more work not only in web serieses but in mainstream cinema as well. I've love the work he has done so far. Rest of the cast was also great. Ive recently found out that European suspense thrillers are quite good. This series has the European suspense thriller feel to it. May be this borrows from those. Those who would like to see similar stuff, try the invisible guardian on Netflix.

Seriously?

[missionsparta · 1/10 · 24 December 2021]

Anytime something comes out of Bollywood, even Indian on the planet rushes to give it raving reviews.....even it is as I nk as this steaming pile is. DON'T LISTEN TO THE FLUFF REVIEWS. This is bad with a captial 'B'.

Loved it: great story, pace, acting, complex characters

[vkap-13252 · 9/10 · 12 December 2021]

This is the first serial where I did not feel there was any "padding" - just to increase the number of episodes. I had to watch it in almost one sitting (with short breaks in between) due to a well-maintained pace.

The story is complex so it requires attention to understand & follow but all different strands come together in the end.

Another sign of maturity is that there are no purely good or bad characters. Each has his/her flaws and yet you can relate to most - even many of the negative ones.

Acting is very good - though in a few places accents are inconsistent.

Definitely recommended.

It was pleasantly surprising.

[TreeFiddy53 · 8/10 · 13 December 2021]

The show was BRILLIANTLY shot, extra marks for the good cinematography and sound, well written and edited. Raveena, Parambrata steal the show playing the cops, it was interesting to see Ashutosh Rana still doing it, good for him!

They do enough to build the story up, which is seemingly all over the place, but they do a good job of bringing everything together.

The misdirection was a little too deliberate - if you know, you know; can't reveal. While they do a good job of tying up all lose ends, there are a few that you might not feel content about. The show is nothing mindblowing, but I thought the 8 episodes were worth the time.

Would totally recommend!

Folklore comes alive, but brings death in its wake

[msunando · 8/10 · 20 December 2021]

As the SHO of the idyllic town of Sironah, Kasturi (Raveena Tandon) prepares to go on a year's sabbatical to help her young daughter prepare for her competitive exams, her replacement Angad Mallik (Parambrata Chatterjee) arrives to take charge. The two are like chalk and cheese in personal and professional attributes because of their socio-geographic differences, and undercurrents get into play almost immediately. But before either can settle into their respective new role, a young French tourist girl Aimee is reported missing by her mother Julie Baptiste, who appears high on drugs. Soon afterwards, her corpse is found hanging from a tree in the adjoining forest area with injury marks allegedly inflicted by an animal. A dormant folklore comes alive - could it be the legendary man-leopard who had claimed 19 lives almost two decades ago be responsible for the death? Kasturi is convinced it is the case indeed, whilst Angad doesn't believe in this hash, he trusts that it's the deed of someone from the town itself, perhaps in connection with the drugs found in the possession of the mother of the dead girl.

The situation requires Kasturi and Angad to collaborate despite their ideological differences and the mutual dislike for each other to nail down the culprit, the legend or human as the case may be.

Aranyak is India's answer to Kate Winslet's "The Mare of Easttown", producers Ramesh Sippy and Siddharth Roy Kapoor leave no stone unturned to ensure that the series is a high class, glossy, gripping and suspenseful output. Director Vinay Waikul keeps matters focused, taut and fast paced enough to make Aranyak a bingeworthy series. Ravenna Tandon is impressive in her essay of the small town police chief who has to balance family with her duties, whilst dealing with local political bigwigs and family friends under investigation delicately. But where she suffers is her inconsistent accent of the Hindi dialect she has to mouth. There are directorial flaws in projecting her as the SHO who hasn't heard the term "jugular vein" or her tacit belief in the folklore of the man-leopard associated with the crimes. The medical officer who undertakes the autopsy also firmly alludes to the same, subscribing to the local people's opinion, which shows small town government office bearers in poor light and somewhat derogatory. Parambrata gives a sombre and suave performance with the best dialogues and one liners having been reserved for him. Ashutosh Rana, Brechfa Khan, Meghna Malik, Indranil Sengupta, Zakir Hussain and Lalit Parimoo add credibility to the suspense with great performances. Saurabh Goswami's cinematography, Yasha Ramchandani's editing and writing by Rohan Sippy & Charudutt Acharya are laudable.

Mind Blowing One!!

[veronicaandrews · 9/10 · 10 December 2021]

A really well made series, the story line is gripping, it holds your attention, the twist at the end was really nice surprise.

The only reason I didn't give it a 10 is because I feel it could have been shortened in 6 episodes. It was dragged a bit for additional two in the end.

The best part of the series was watching Raveena Tandon back on screen in a powerpacked performance. She was my center of attention for the entire 8 episodes. I hope she continues to work more in such amazing series in the years to come!

Ok

[cynthiathumati · 7/10 · 24 December 2021]

I was looking forward to it. It was gripping throughout. The characters are good. However, it was a bit of a let down as the story just turned out to be a mystery underneath a mystery. Its too clever for its own good. Next time keep it simple.

Adrenaline rush

[amoldavid67 · 10/10 · 12 December 2021]

Awesome, super engaging, binge worth , it's sooooo gud . Must watch , all actors did marvellous job . Ravina tondon and ashutosh Rana did awesome acting. If u love high paced adrenaline rush , this one is for u with dark theme .

Multiple Subplots, however mixed well.

[suryanmukul · 7/10 · 22 December 2021]

Crime thrillers have always been a different class and adding a suspicious element to it obviously glorifies the story and boost up the eager to watch it. Its dark, its challenging, it's a nice journey to be on but still not a whole newness.

Aranyak is 8 episodes series which is half ok and half exiting. Few episodes go like nothing happened but few goes like OMG! 4-5 subplots mixed together can make it little confusing but not that much that one can't figure out what is going on. It could have been simple as the ending came out of no where just out of the clue. Giving hints in-between of the climax is a good part of any series but ending came out of nowhere, just survived because it was into the context of what they have been looking for, from the first episode, finally found it in the last episode, and ended it very well with establishing the story for the next season as well.

Best of the Best Ashutosh Rana (playing Mahadev Dogra) is a joy to watch again and good to see Raveen Tondon (Playing Kasturi Dogra) in a desi avatar. And a very special mention to Parambrata Chattopadhyay (playing Angad Malik), you have come a long way man! Well done! Other then the cast, the location been awesome throughout the whole series and also the BGM was really supportive according to the genre. Overall a pretty good attempt by Director Vinay Waikul and team.

Not Perfect.!

[Couziambatman · 8/10 · 11 December 2021]

Not a perfect series but has its own merits. Have seen some critic reviews calling out ridiculous (btw same critics who praised below average dumbsters ) and all i can say is that its not ridiculous. Good acting , not so bad script and suspense is not missing from this series. Had its hiccups here and there but doesn't disappoint the viewers.

Hmm! Quite Good!

[nitishkumarmohanta · 7/10 · 18 December 2021]

The best thing about this series is it's Locations and Cinematography. Raveena Tandon's comeback dragged me here to watch it after some mystic teaser promotions. Everyone did fantastic job here in this entire series especially Parambata, Raveena and Ashutosh Rana. You can watch it with family but you have to manage some cryptic scenes here in this series. Overall 7 out of 10 stars from my side.

Weak storyline

[mrsumitdhar · 5/10 · 16 December 2021]

All other inputs are there...Good actor, good cinematography, beautiful location. But all ended into a smoke because of a very weak storyline. At the end the director want to finish it in a little hurry just like the bollywood movies in the 80s.

Simply Superb. Not for immature bollywoodians

[saurabhjayswal · 10/10 · 11 December 2021]

Fantastic series. People downrating it are the reason why mainstream bollywood movies are still getting made.

This, this is called content. And my Raveena, just love her. XO XO.