Raveena Tandon was a star of commercial Hindi cinema in the ’90s and was a part of some of the biggest blockbusters of that time. But by the end of the decade, the actress started proving that she can pull off more intense and complicated characters as well, and with films like Shool, Aks and Daman: A Victim of Marital Violence, she made a strong statement. The lattermost even bagged her a National Award. My love and admiration for Raveena has just grown over the years and I feel like I wasn’t that big of an admirer of her in the early 2000s, as big as I am now. Recently, the actress made her digital debut with Netflix’s Aranyak and took even the digital world by storm.
The actress plays a police officer named Kasturi Dogra, in a story of two high-ranking cops working on a case that is shrouded in mystery because of the involvement of local politicians as well as because of a haunted urban legend named Nartendua. The show also features Parambrata Chattopadhyay and Ashutosh Rana, alongside an ensemble cast. The show has garnered appreciation for its treatment of the story and the nuanced performances, especially Raveena’s who makes a stunning digital debut. What also garnered attention was the eerie world of Aranyak, which is picturesque yet grotesque and here’s the cast and crew talking about how it came about.
Check out the video here:
Ashutosh Rana, who plays Mahadev Dogra in the show, describes the world of Aranyak as:
“This is not a city wherein people live, it’s within the people that the city lives.”
Director Vinay Waikul is all praise for his leading actress saying that she adds a lot to her character as well as the entire process of creation. He describes Kasturi as a straight-forward and no-nonsense person, and Raveena shares that it was difficult playing a character like Kasturi.
She says:
“She’s this very vivacious, gregarious person who’s trying to handle everything and multi-task, be it her home, work or family. If she feels the need of slapping someone, she won’t think twice.”
It’s quite easy to go out of sync with the story and the surrounding you are setting it in, but Aranyak manages to tread that path excellently, making you immerse in the whole experience. It’s not just a location in a show, but it does make you feel a part of it. I have been hooked on to the show because of its impactful story, performances and the use of the location and that is what also makes this show a must-watch for everyone.